Lyrical Lies
by 0Life-is-a-Song0
Summary: He could make symphonies as a child with millions running on his music, demanding more and more as he did what he loved to do. Music was his passion, his love. Then some jazzed up redneck comes along, and suddenly things aren't so simple anymore.
1. Midnight Show

_So, here's the story I've been raving on about :P _

_I'll try to take less than a year to finish this, yeah?_

_Yeah._

"_**There's something in my head,**_

_**Somewhere in the back said,**_

'_**We were just a good thing,**_

_**We were such a good thing'**_

_**Make it go away**_

_**Without a word**_

_**But promise me you'll stay**_

_**And fix these things I've heard**_

_**Make it go away."**_

_** -**__The Killers Midnight Show_

* * *

There are some things in this world that are better left alone. Take love, for an example. Love is a twisted net of lies that loll in wait for you to fall into, just so the beast can leave the moment its thirst was quenched. Who in the hell invented love anyway?

Yes, it's better to have loved and lost than never loved at all. But why let yourself go through the agony of losing the one thing you held onto? I'd rather have gone through life like a robot than have gone through what I had gone through.

Funny, she called me a robot when she thought I couldn't hear.

But, you probably don't have any idea what I'm talking about. You probably are shaking your head and wondering where this is going. I'd like to tell you where this is going, and I'd like to tell you straight up. But, I always get sidetracked, so you'll have to bear with me. She always teased me about it, but I'm not stopping anytime soon.

You see, I have this problem. It's a pathetic problem, and you'll all probably laugh at me when I say it. You see, my problem is love. Not love in general, but I'm in love with a girl. The problem isn't that I'm in love; it's the person I'm in love with.

She doesn't love me back.

And I've been so used to them loving me back, that it's strange not feeling her respond the same way I do. If anything, she's the complete opposite of me.

She hates me.

And I don't want her to. But, at the same time, I want her to. You see my damn problem now? She's not good enough for me, but I want her to be.

Talk about internal conflict.

But no matter. Once I can get that fool to stop falling for her sister, I should be okay. You don't have a clue what I'm talking about, do you? Of course you don't, what am I saying? I always get ahead of myself when it comes to her; my pulse speeds up, my breath comes short, and I'm positively sure that I-

I just want this problem to go away. I keep hearing everything she's ever said about me, and it's driving me crazy. How is it that I can over analyze everything she's ever done around me, but I'm positive she's barely given me a second thought?

If only. Yes, if only. The story of my life. We would be perfect together, if only. She would love me too, if only. I wouldn't have to be going through this, if only-

Yes, it's best to rewind. Let me show you how I was before I met the infamous Elizabeth Marie Bennett.

* * *

_I know, I know, dreadfully short. It's just his muses._


	2. LDN

_Ok, thanks for the reviews everyone! They really help. Enjoy!_

"_**Everything seems to look as it should**_

_**But I wonder what goes on behind doors**_

_**A fella lookin dapper and he's sittin with his snapper**_

_**And I see it's a pimp and his crack whore**_

_**Sun is in the sky**_

_**Oh why oh why**_

_**Would I wanna be anywhere else?"**_

_** -**__Lilly Allen, LDN_

* * *

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE BREAKING UP WITH ME?!" The strangled shriek, combined with the smell of sewage, and the nausea that threatened to surface was the perfect combination needed to make Will Darcy grind his teeth and jam a clenched fist into his suit pocket, resisting the urge to run in front of the marta train nearby.

"I mean, we don't mesh like I thought we did. I mean, we're over. I'm sorry Kassie." Will tacked on the last part lamely, hoping it sounded sincere. To say the truth, he didn't really care if she believed him to be sincere or not. He just wanted her out of his life as soon as possible. It was running smoothly, he thought. She was angry, and if God was smiling on him right now, she would switch to a woman's calm attitude next as her new tactic. If the Lord was really happy with him, Will prayed she went through every phase of the breakup on the phone, right now.

"Will, baby," she cooed into the cell phone, holding it like a baby, "Think of what you're doing. You don't want to leave me, leave all this! What we have is special!" Her voice was laced with a faux sweetness that hinted poison. Will winced at the way her voice hit a high octave when she said, "special".

"I don't feel it anymore. I don't feel anything like that anymore." He almost regretted his words. He could have worded it better, but looking over at his friend, Jack, he was getting thumbs up.

"Will, don't leave me! I'll do anything, ANYTHING, to be with you. You know I take good care of you, you can't say you don't love me!" Ah, The Lord was smiling on him after all; she was begging.

"Kassie… I don't love you." Will said dully, scuffing his shoe on the ground. The muggy air squeezed against his lungs like a straight jacket, and he took short breaths from the humidity.

"You… y-you don't mean that baby." Kassie crooned in a slightly strangled voice.

"Don't call me baby Kassie. I mean it. I really don't love you. Move on. Get another guy." William Darcy was pushing it, and he knew it. Already shoving her to another man, giving another guy the same problems he had received.

"You really mean it, don't you?" Yes, the defeat was there. Will didn't know what he had done to have the big man upstairs showering luck on him. He was a Christian in the making, he could feel it.

"Yes." He added a slightly cold edge to his tone, signaling that she should hang up.

"Oh. Good bye then, William." Yes, she had hit the false monotone stage. The breakup was officially complete. With a smile, he slid shut his new I-Phone and shook his head. Clingy women were always hard to deal with, but this one was actually one of the easiest. Straightening his tie, he heard clapping from Jack, and he grinned despite himself.

"Good show man, good show. You have her right where you want her. Now whenever you need her, give her a buzz. She'll be right there, waiting for you." Jack laughed, exposing killer dimples that stunned a woman as she walked past. With a wink, he added, "And I give that one a seven and a half."

"I don't want anything to do with ex's Jack. Especially after everything she was. Nude modeling? Come on, that's sick. She didn't live up to what she should have, and that's why I broke up with her." Turning around, he sidestepped a homeless man begging for money and snapped, "Why is Atlanta crawling with homeless and beggars?! Does this city have no respect for itself?!"

"Will… nude modeling is hot. Those are the easiest to get in bed, and the easiest to leave. You left her because you've got about twenty others lined up after tonight's party, ready and willing."

"I never had sex with her." Taking a long stride, he swerved through the crowd, walking towards his limousine.

"Please, can you spare change, for the love of God? He will bless you." A man in rags half lunged at Will, his nails dirty, his hands scarred. He was missing a shoe and the army rags barely covered him. Will balked as the man almost fell on his new Armani suit, and he took an exaggerated step back. With a sneer, he brushed past the man, and kept walking.

"Please, sir-" The man now targeted Jack.

"Look, get a shower, get some new clothes, get a girl, you'll be a-ok." Jack snapped, tossing a fifty dollar bill at the man's feet. He ignored the man's cry of happiness as he grabbed the money. Grabbing Will's shoulder, he cried out in disbelief, "What do you mean, 'I didn't have sex with her'?!"

"I mean, we never did anything like that. I didn't want to. Why did you pay that man back there, now he'll follow us around, asking for more money. That's how the homeless operate, Jack." Will shook his shoulder out of Jack's hold, and he crossed the street. With a squeal, a car slammed to a halt, horn blaring as it nearly hit Will. Jack grinned at the angry girl at the wheel, and tossed a wink at her. Her anger was abated as she assessed the two very good looking gentlemen.

"So he buys some drugs. It's not a problem unless I have to go to court for it." Jack dismissed the statement and wrapped an arm around his friend. "Here, get a good wench, use her shamelessly, and then find another. You have no ties when you have that much fun." Will glared at him a moment before he climbed into his car, and unrolled the window.

"Why did Charlie send me here?" Will asked with acid in his voice. "Everyone seems to think I like traveling around and going to cities like a circus freak." Jack laughed brightly.

"Will, it's only appearances that make you seem like a circus freak. Why would you not want to be in Atlanta? It's one of the only cities that you can easily bed one girl and the next night you can have her friend. Enjoy it!" Jack shook his head.

"You're my lawyer, Jack Wickam. I trust you to keep me on the things I need to do, and you're throwing women at my feet?"

"Will, women are what you need to do. Without them is why you're so angry all the time. Loosen up, enjoy your youth. Call me before you go to the Masquerade, k? No skipping out on your own concert." Jack grinned and waved before Will flipped him the bird, rolled up his window, and the limousine pulled smoothly into the traffic. Jack turned back to the girl who was still sitting in her car, staring. Walking up slowly, he leaned down and smiled an easygoing smile.

"Well, hello. I'm terribly sorry, but I seem to recall I owe you an apology. How about a name and a date a few nights from now to make it up to you?"

* * *

Will hated Atlanta. The stinking sewage right under his feet, the chaos and confusion, the humidity and heat, and then worst of all- the people drove him crazy. Their trashy accents, the mindless pop, rap, and blue grass all mixed in together to form a loud cacophony of music that made him want grip his head in agony. He leaned back into his leather seating and sighed in slight contentment. At least this air was filtered and clean.

"Sir, I have another article I think you'll want to read." The chauffer had unrolled the separating window between them and was talking in a low, husky voice. Will grabbed it from waiting hands, and read aloud in bored tones,

"The ever popular William Andrew Darcy the 7th has hit the number one spot on MTV and VH1 for a seventh week running on their top twenties. His mix of soft tones, crooning guitar, and melodious piano lulls any girl from the age of ten to one hundred in a state of awe as they listen. Where did you get this from, Phil?" Will glanced up to see the older man chuckling and looking in his rear view.

"A magazine stand as I waited, sir. Do continue, it gets better, sir."

"… But what makes this man so irresistible? He's Hollywood's number four on their one hundred eligible bachelors, but makes no move for marriage. A previous ex, Paris Hilton, reveals that, 'He never became close enough for anything with commitment'. We are now happy to state that Paris and Joel Madden are going to be happily married- Phil, is this Star Magazine?"

"Keep reading, sir."

"- And Mr. Darcy has been invited to their wedding. He sadly declined, as he is on tour. To read more, turn to page 17-20. See if you're compatible with the ever dark star, William Darcy."

"Amusing, sir?"

"… I'm calling Jack." Will angrily tossed the magazine onto the seat farthest away, and pulled out his phone. Dialing the number angrily, he put it to his ear and listened to Ludacris rap obnoxiously as a ring back tone.

"This is Jack Wickam, I'm busy now, but if you leave your name, number, and bra size, I'll call you right back." There was a beep, and Will angrily stated his business.

"So call me back when you get this, ok? And if this is the number your other clients call, I sure hope they have a sense of humor." With a curse, he hung up, and was putting his phone back into his suit pocket when he suddenly laughed. Here he was, in the middle of Atlanta Georgia, and he was angry at the magazine that has said worse before. His anger was misplaced, he realized.

Will unbuckled and relaxed, hoping to get to his office before he had to get ready for the concert.

You see, William Darcy was not just a singer as the magazine had proclaimed. He was also running the recording studio that he was singing under. It was a family business that he had inherited, along with his love of music. It was because of that reason that he was able to pursue his love of music and come out with a best selling album. His friend was also his manager, and handled most things that got him where he was today. It was also his manager that had sent the team to Georgia, where he was to perform tonight at some run down concert hall, The Masquerade.

Will hated performing. The many people staring when he just wanted to play. They tried to critique him like they knew music. They talked like they could form a symphony, let alone a simple song. He hated it. He hated how they pushed for more when he wanted to stop. Sometimes, his manager wasn't any better. It was annoying, and Will reacted from it, causing the journalists who followed him around to dub him a, "black star".

Will was getting right to the middle of his muses when he was suddenly thrown viciously across his seat, and slammed into the other side door. His vision exploded with multi-colored lights, and he heard the crunch of metal, and a horn blaring over and over again.

It was a few minutes before he could move. His whole left face felt on fire, and he was sure he had suffered whiplash. With a groan, he pulled himself up, and looked blearily around. Phil was leaned over an air bag, his eyes closed. The entire window shield in the front was smashed, and he could see the hood bent up.

Hesitantly, Will opened his door, and climbed out of the limo. His entire left side ached as he walked over to the front of the car where Phil was passed out. The limo was connected with a very bent and ruined red punch bug, but he didn't care much for it. It was old and rusted anyway, with the engine in the very back. The girl at the wheel though, was certainly alive, and very, very angry.

"Son-" She was kicking the door, trying to get out. "of- a- bitch!" With a last kick, the door grated open, and she fell out of her car, wincing. Her brown curls were pinned up and out of her face, but the crash had thrown her hair in slight disarray, and some fell over her face. As she looked up, cuts dotted one side of her face in a criss-crossing manner, and they were a livid red. She had light blue eyes that startled him as she assessed him.

"Well… not really. But the point was made. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to crash into you guys like that." She struggled to get to her feet but seemed to be fighting an internal battle. Her legs shook, and she finally gave up. With a shaky laugh, she said in a slightly southern accent, "Can you check your 'ol man over there? I think he got the worst of it." With a stern nod, Will walked over slowly and looked in at Phil. He was breathing, and just seemed knocked out, but he couldn't be too sure. Will calmly dialed 911 and informed them of what had happened. He didn't need to though. A set of police was already rounding the corner, and stopped when they saw the head on collision.

It seemed like a blur after that. The very pretty girl told her story of how she had swerved to avoid the crosswalk people, and her brakes locked up. Will had snorted at this, and when he did, he was then questioned. He couldn't say much because he had been in the back, which made the girl laugh.

"Something funny?" Will asked angrily as the police then directed the tow truck over. Their crash had inadvertently closed off two streets.

"Well, you scoff at my account but you don't have sufficient enough evidence to back it up because, heaven forbid, you drive yourself around." Her face had been cleaned of all blood, and she faced him with the scratched side, and smiled. Her eyes made his blood run cold as she glared at him, and he cleared his throat loudly.

"You better be grateful I'm ok, or I might just have to press charges. It would have been worse if I had been killed." He snapped, turning away. His phone buzzed, and he picked it up, snapping angrily, "Darcy speaking."

"You're on the news." Was his good friend's only sentence of greeting.

"I could have killed you? You're not worried about your driver? He's the one who has a concussion, thinking he's batman!" The brunette girl was walking right behind him, her temper flaring.

"Yes, and hello to you too Charlie." Will swatted the girl away with a sharp wave of his hand, but she wouldn't be deterred.

"How's Phil? Does his wife know yet? And who's that girl following you? She's pretty hot." His questions battered Will's muddled mind and he gritted his teeth.

"Will you leave me alone?" Will snapped as he turned around and faced her. He then realized just how small she was. She had to be five three, at most, and a petite woman. He was looking down on her, figuratively and literally.

"You aren't worried about him?" She jabbed a finger at the ambulance where Phil was being wheeled away, and she glared at him again. "You who suffers the least from this, and you act like you're the one who it hurt the worst?" Will looked around to see a film crew, and many reporters already gathering. With a groan, he brushed past the girl and snapped into the phone, "Charlie, get me out of here."

"I'll be there as soon as possible. I'm with my girlfriend, so it's a little difficult."

"Find a way." Will ground out, and snapped his phone shut.

"You're a prat." The girl snapped as he walked past her. Will stopped, and turned to glare at her.

"I don't have time for your silly antics." He informed her. "Keep talking and I'll see about calling my lawyer to press charges." With his back straight, he walked past the reporters who called his name eagerly, and sat down, his face in his hands. His head throbbed angrily, and he couldn't think straight.

It didn't take long for Charlie to show up. He brushed past the eager press, smiling brightly and shaking hands. Along with him came a slender blond, her eyes wide with worry. Well, why wouldn't they be? He was the celebrity in this situation. But as Charlie walked over to him quickly, the blond didn't follow, but ran over in high heels and a yellow sun dress to the brunette girl, and hugged her fiercely. Her eyes were closed, but the emotion running off of her was as clear as day.

"Will, are you alright?" Charlie asked as he looked his friend over. Will shrugged, and stood up, his posture stiff. Nodding to the girl, he asked gruffly, "Who's she?"

"That's my girlfriend." Charlie's chest puffed out proudly, and he laughed. "That's her sister, what a coincidence, huh?" The two girls walked over, the blond talking worriedly to the brunette, her eyes wide and just as icy blue as her sister's. Charlie met them halfway, his eyes sparkling now that he knew everyone was ok.

"Jane, this is my good friend, William Darcy. Will, this is Jane, and her sister is Elizabeth. Their father owns the construction site not far from here."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Jane had a soft voice and a shy smile. Her face was heart shaped, and her features soft. She seemed delicate, fragile. Her sister, on the other hand, was the opposite. She was a bit more pointy faced in a cute, pixie sort of way, but they shared the same pale skin, and cool blue eyes.

"Yeah, we met." Was all Elizabeth could manage to say. Will frowned at her, his mind running. Most people greeted him with squeals and cries of, "You're THAT Will Darcy!?" And then they attacked him. These two were cool, and totally calm that they were talking to a multi-billion dollar boy.

Charlie laughed and nodded to her. "We saw on the TV you starting to get angry. Jane was beside herself when she realized it was you. Sorry to meet you on such gruesome terms. Jane talks highly of you." Charlie flipped his surfer blond hair out of his green eyes and smiled a heart breaker smile. Will took a deep breath and stared around him as he asked, "So when are we getting out of here?"

"Oh yeah! Just follow me, I took care of it. Your manager's always got it covered. Don't talk to them, just walk." Charlie grabbed Jane's hand and they began walking past the police lines, the police, and then met the press. Lights flashed, people shouted, and grabbed for their attention. Will pushed past them easily, and Jane had Charlie for support. Elizabeth, however, stared around dumbly and winced at the flashing lights. Will angrily grabbed her shoulder and dragged her along, much to her annoyance. She pulled away from him and snapped, "I can walk on my own."

"Miss Bennett, Miss Bennett!! How do you think the singing sensation Will Darcy is taking this wreck?" Someone yelled next to her, his microphone almost right in her face. Elizabeth blinked for a moment, her eyes wide. She stared at the man a moment before turning to look at Will. He stared back, glaring.

"You're that Will Darcy?" She asked calmly, clearly in disbelief. Will's jaw dropped, and he stuttered for a moment before grinding his teeth together.

"You didn't know, Miss Bennett? How do you feel, now that you're finding out? Are you in awe?" the reporter asked, and then more lights flashed. Elizabeth flashed a coy smile, and said quite clearly, "No comment."

More lights flashed.

* * *

_So there you go. Get back to me on that, yeah?_

_Yeah._


	3. Rhythm of the Night

_Thanks for your reviews! I loved writing this chapter, I don't even know why!_

_**To the beat of the rhythm of the night  
dance until the morning light  
Forget about the worries on your mind  
we can leave them all behind  
To the beat of the rhythm of the night**_

_**Forget about the worries on your mind  
we can leave them all behind...**_

** -**_Valeria, Rhythm of the Night_

* * *

Will was backstage, and he was nervous. He hated that feeling of insecurities that settled on his shoulders right before a concert, and he wanted to high tale it out of there. It was worse than the aching on his side from the crash earlier that day, and it was worse than the humiliation that that uncultured Bennett girl had put him through. It was the kind of nervous that made him want to run a marathon and never hit the finish line because he had hopped on the nearest semi to get away.

The only things stopping him were his manager, his lawyer, and his sister. His sister was also his clothes designer, and when she wasn't on the spot, she was just as fierce as he could be. Right now, she was stabbing him with pins as she struggled to get his "ripped and tortured" apparel to not fall off during his concert.

"I have good news, your chauffer is ok. He's got some painkillers and is passed out on a couch." Jack informed him with a grin. "His wife's keeping him company."

"Send him flowers for his trouble." Gina told Charlie with a mouthful of pins hindering her voice.

"Will, remember what you're supposed to do." Charlie prodded happily.

"We're on in five." The stage manager, Rick told him.

"Why would I send flowers? I've got enough trouble, I don't need to send a chauffer flowers!" Will snapped, his temper flaring.

"It's sentimental!" Gina argued.

"It's gay!" Jack supported.

"Just send it!" Charlie cried.

"Three minutes!" The manager snapped.

"Flowers are cheap!" Jack added, smirking.

"Flowers are pretty and sentimental!" Gina defended.

"I'm not attracted to him!" Will snapped.

"You don't have to be!" Charlie cried brightly.

"To send sentimental flowers, yes I do!" Will retorted.

"Let the wench who hit you guys send flowers!" Jack offered.

"Like she could afford it." Will muttered.

"WILL!" Gina cried, smacking him.

"That's not nice Will. Are you even ready for the concert?" Charlie asked brightly.

"Two minutes!" The manager barked at them.

"Is anyone paying attention to me?" Jack asked to no one in particular.

"NO!" Three voices cried simultaneously to him.

"Just asking." He muttered.

"Will, remember-"

"You need to be-"

"I think I-"

"WILL YOU STOP!?"

"You really should-"

"Will you please let my son prepare for his concert quietly?" A robust voice cried above everyone else's. Will grinned despite himself, and when everyone froze, the voice snapped, "Meaning, leave him!" Like dogs with tails between their legs, the three sidled off, heads hanging.

"You didn't have to do that, Mrs. Reynolds." Will said softly. Mrs. Reynolds was his house keeper, but also one of the few people he respected. With her dark eyes, severe bun pulled tight, and narrow cheek bones, it was hard to say no to her. When she said something, it was done.

"You looked like you were about to be shot, William. You need peace and quiet." Mrs. Reynolds dismissed his protests with a smile. "Besides, the look of relief on your face is enough to make it worthwhile. Now, focus with the time you have left. Make them beg for more, m'boy." With a smile, she walked off, barking at others who were gawking at him.

Will sighed, leaning against the wall. He took a deep breath, and held it, thinking calming thoughts. His mind wandered to after the crash, and the problem that had surfaced with it.

"_We'll stay here until my car is brought along." Jane said softly, sitting down._

"_Nonsense babe, stay until you guys are up to it. Don't push yourself!" Charlie smiled when she blushed, and held her hand as he turned on the TV. _

_Elizabeth rolled her eyes and sat down next to her sister, fiddling with her cell phone in a nervous sort of way. She had taken off her jacket, and she wore only a tank top. What was curious was that he could see quite clearly a long and rectangular bruise that stretched from the top of her shoulder and went down, disappearing under her shirt. With a start, Will realized it was a bruise from the seat belt digging into her skin. _

"_Do you need some pain killers?" Charlie asked in concern when she winced. _

"_No, I'm fine, just a little pain. Thanks Charlie." She replied with an easy smile. _

"_If you're tired, we have another room for you to sleep in." Charlie offered, tossing a look at Will for an Ok. _

"_Down the hall and to the left." Will muttered as he got up to leave. The way her eyes held him made him feel uneasy. He felt exhausted, as if someone had sucked the energy out of him, and he knew just the trick to fix it. Music. Walking down the hall, he stepped into his instrument room, and grabbed his guitar. Slowly, he began plucking at it, tuning the strings and messing with a melody he had been working on._

_The music came naturally, the tune simple. Make it a love song, make it sad. Make the girls pine for you; those are the words that Charlie said. Will tugged at his hair in frustration, and began singing softly under his breath. _

"_**Breathe in for luck,**_

_**Breathe in so deep,**_

_**This air is blessed,**_

_**You share with me,**_

_**This night is wild,**_

_**So calm and dull,**_

_**These hearts, they race…"**_

_He was then aware of someone in the doorway, watching him. Looking up, he saw those eyes, and he couldn't move. His chest tightened, and his heart seemed to jump in his chest. Angry at his reaction, he snapped, "What are you doing?"_

"_Just listening to music, don't worry; I'm not going to steal your song or anything." She held her hands up in mock surrender, and grinned._

"_Not like you could." He shrugged and looked down again. He tried putting up a cold front that usually pushed girls away. As if sensing his act, Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at his tone. "I just find it funny how someone like you could play something so pretty." Will glared, not used to someone he barely knew teasing him in such a sarcastic way._

"_Someone like me?" He asked, dangerously quiet. Elizabeth nodded, her grin suddenly appearing. _

"_A grump." She said simply and sat down on the piano bench. _

"'_Come mothers come fathers throughout the land; don't criticize what you can't understand'."_

"_You know Bob Dylan?" She asked, incredulous._

"_Why wouldn't I?" Will demanded, fiddling with the strings. For some reason, whenever he looked at her his chest would squeeze tight and he hated the feeling. It was weak, and uncalled for. She couldn't be __that__ pretty, could she? _

"_You don't seem the type." She flashed a grin, as if she could read his thoughts. His thoughts being, 'you're right… I'm not'. But Will had tried to learn from every artist before him. He studied their strengths, their weaknesses. He saw how they rose, how they fell. He could name their hits, and their failures. And by that, he found that he hated most music. But she couldn't know that, could she? _

"_And how would you come to that conclusion? Have you heard my music?" He was beginning to grow annoyed that his obvious annoyance wasn't driving her away. In fact, it seemed to draw her closer. _

"_Of course I haven't heard your music. You're not much of a jazz singer, I have gathered." She retorted, raising an eyebrow. He felt exposed as she stared at him, straight in the eyes, as if to say she could pin him for anything._

"_You would have to find that out yourself." He snapped coldly, turning away from her. She stood up, and walked down the row of guitars standing next to one another, letting her fingers graze them lightly. _

"_And how would I do that?" She asked with a smirk. _

"_Come to my concert." Ah, he saw her turn a slight red at that. _

"_I don't have a ticket." She muttered, turning back to him. _

"_Charlie will take care of it." He pushed her protests away, glaring. He would show her what music was. He would get that ridiculous smirk off of her face soon enough._

"_I'm much to busy." She stated firmly, walking towards him slightly. Her hands were on her narrow waist, and she was staring him down again. _

"_Then you're going to have to accept defeat. I've won this debate." He dismissed her and began to fiddle with his song. _

"_You've done no such thing!" She was glaring now, and he noticed how she seemed ready to defend herself. Ah, she was an independent girl._

"_Then come to my concert, and find out for yourself." He shrugged, and almost rolled his eyes at how uncultured she seemed. So ready to argue, but not willing to go the whole way. She must be lower class. _

"_Fine. Maybe I will." She snapped, flashing him a cold look. Standing up, she winced and said in a slightly miffed way, "I'm going to go now. Thank you for your stimulating company." _

_In spite of himself, Will grinned._

Now, he was angry with himself. Inviting a girl to his concert, as if he was interested in her was a stupid move to make. Now, she probably would follow him around, talking about nonsensical things and trying to sleep with him. If it was one thing he hated, it was a gold digger.

And then there was her sister. She seemed to accept Charlie's advances, but seemed to not feel as strongly. He had seen how lost Charlie was when he had seen them together. In a couple months, if things progressed, he would probably ask her to marry him. Charlie always rushed into everything, and never stopped to think. Because of things like that, Will was stuck in Georgia for summer and almost all of fall.

"Will, you're on!" Gina told him, giving him a hug and a pinch for luck. Will shook his head and realized that the applause for the opening part was dying out. With a sigh, he walked onto stage, causing the whole crowd to go wild. He gave a cool smile, causing girls to swoon, and he almost laughed. Women were so predictable!

"Hey," He said softly into the mike, "Thanks for coming tonight. I see it's a good crowd out here. Lots of noise going on, right?" He grinned when he saw girls standing up in their seats trying to get a close up picture. Lights blinded him from most of the crowd, but he could see the first two rows quite clearly. Right in the middle seats were Jane and Elizabeth. Jane was smiling faintly, but Elizabeth seemed merely skeptical.

"I think I'm going to start off with a favorite from the radio. You all have heard it, I'm sure-" Will was cut off by screams from the crowd. He smirked. "I know you all know the lyrics." More screams of acknowledgement. With an almost imperceptible sigh, he settled down on the stool, and began strumming lightly. The noise around him seemed to die, as if the screams had been turned off instantly. All that he saw and heard was the instrument in his hands. His tool. His fingers found the right placements as if he had never needed to learn them. Clearing his throat slightly, he looked up, capturing everyone with his dark eyes. There was a thick feeling of wait in the air as he almost felt everyone leaning in. He had them right where they needed to be.

And then, he sang.

* * *

Elizabeth had never heard something so sweet. His voice seemed to flow from his lips like silk, and she could see he was far away from everything around him. His eyes were on the crowd, but she could tell his mind and heart were gone. All he was thinking of was the music. It surprised her that someone so cold towards people could be so passionate about music. It was like a different person was on stage singing.

Elizabeth loved music. She loved the feel and the way it moved her. The tug and pull of the melody with a twist in the harmony seemed to lull her into a different world. She almost could feel the emotion coming off of him in waves as he sang, and it was different than anything she thought could have come from him. Jerks weren't supposed to be so good at things like this!

_"You totally bitch slapped him Lizzie." Charlotte told her with a laugh when they were getting ready for the concert. Charlotte already had tickets and a date with a guy, so they would just meet up afterwards for the party. _

_"I only told him what I thought. He was more concerned about him than the guy who had to be taken to the hospital!" She laughed when her friend imitated the Darcy guy to perfection. She couldn't get a grip on how unfeeling he could be._

_"I can't believe you didn't recognize him though." Charlotte grinned mischievously and rolled her eyes. "If I didn't know any better, you only said that to get a rise out of him. The guy would deserve it." _

_"Yes, the look on his face was worth all of the drama he caused over it." _

_"You take pride in driving ass holes nuts?" Charlotte asked incredulously. Lizzie grinned. _

_"Every time." _

And now, here he was, up on stage, singing his heart into it. Well, something like that. His eyes starting roaming the crowd, catching girls' stares and sneering at them. What an arrogant guy. She wanted to laugh at how he seemed totally ok with making them swoon, but then again, he probably was ok with it. Guys like that weren't worth anyone's time, she decided.

He changed the tempo, making it a bit faster, a bit more emotional. His gaze then fell on Elizabeth, and her jaw almost dropped. There was so much feeling in his music that she could hardly get her head around it. There was no way he could make music like that! Almost as if sensing her reaction, he smirked at her. Lizzie shut her mouth and raised an eyebrow, challenging him. The look seemed to startle him, much to her amusement, because he missed the next chord in the song, putting it slightly off beat. His head ducked down, and he fixed the mistake almost immediately, blushing angrily. Thankfully, he had had enough composure and control to keep singing while he did this, but she noticed he seemed colder than before.

"Lizzie, be nice!" Jane scolded, her angelic face suddenly reproachful.

"But messing with people like him is half the fun!" Elizabeth retorted cheerfully, feeling a buzz in her pocket. Pulling her phone out, she saw she had a text.

**To: Lizzie**

**From: Lottie**

**Im guessin that wuz ****u**** miz lizzie bear.**

**Reply?**

Elizabeth grinned, showing the text to her sister. Jane rolled her eyes and smiled.

**To:Lottie**

**From: Lizzie**

**Of course.**

* * *

Will finished with a flourish, cursing inwardly. The low class wretch! He had looked at her, not surprised to see her in awe, but then she had the audacity to make him mess up! Nothing like that had ever happened, ever. Will Darcy didn't make mistakes, not in his business running, not in his music.

Then what the hell just happened?

It wasn't like she was trying to mess him up. It was just a look! But his chest had tightened, and his eyes were only for her. He didn't have time to think about that. She wasn't worth it.

"Yeah, did you like that?" He asked, grinning. He knew exactly how to make them go crazy. The words, the body language, the looks were all key. Walking on stage, they were all easy to do. If only he could incorporate that into real life settings.

"Let's speed things up, shall we?" He asked rhetorically, risking a glance to the side of the stage where his sister was giving him a thumbs up sign.

"**This is the story of a girl,**

**Who cried a river and drowned the whole world,**

**And while she looks so good in photographs,**

**I absolutely love it,**

**When she smiles-"**

The whole crowd, save one, went wild.

* * *

"And here's the man of himself, Will Darcy!" Charlie grinned as the whole crowd went crazy. The after party was always crazy, and Club Europe was supposedly the place in Georgia to hold it. The V.I.P. section was booked through, and drinks were pouring. Rap and dance music blared through the speakers and the dance floor was packed with swaying, gyrating bodies that went with the beat in perfect rhythm. Will was disgusted with the smell of booze, smoke, and sweat, but he knew he couldn't wriggle out of this party. It was all about him, after all.

The people around him were all trying to talk to him at once, asking for auto graphs, photos, and how he felt about things. He didn't answer, thinking that they didn't want to know that he wanted to shoot them all for bothering him with trivial things.

"This is a party, isn't it?! Why isn't there dancing?" Jack appeared out of no where, an arm around Will's shoulders. "This is the best that Atlanta could offer, and no one's showing it?"

"This is their best?" Will asked in disgust. Charlie just laughed and led them over to a table where Jane, Elizabeth, a girl Will didn't know, and a boy sat. There was minimal dancing in the V.I.P. but a lot of people talking and mingling, most of them around the D.J.

"Will, Jack, this is Charlotte and Bill, friends of Jane's and Elizabeth's." Charlie smiled at the look of stony discomfort on Will's face, and frowned slightly at the way Jack hungrily checked out his girlfriend and her sister.

"A pleasure, I'm Jack, Will's lawyer." Jack sidled in next to Lizzie, his intentions perfectly clear. Lizzie wrinkled her nose slightly at him, not because of his looks, but because of how blatant a player he was. Will took note of this and had to suppress a grin. He didn't know that there was a woman who could turn Jack Wickam away. This was definitely a first.

Jack didn't seem angry or annoyed at this though. In fact, he seemed delighted that there would be a fight for it. Jack loved those who fought. He loved winning them over too. It made him feel greedy all over.

"Jane! Aren't you going to introduce us too?" A shrill voice seemed to cut through all the other loud noises. Jane flushed slightly and looked slightly embarrassed, but Lizzie all together slammed her head onto the table in mortification. Will glanced at her once before he was bombarded with the stench of very cheap perfume.

* * *

My mother has to be the most brash, over-bearing person I've ever met. When I saw her finally wriggle through to the V.I.P. section I tried not to beat my head into a wall. _Think happy thoughts._ I kept thinking in a slightly panicked way. If there was one person to make the ever big ego- freak Darcy think any less of the Bennett's it was my mother.

"Oh you're Mr. Darcy! My daughters tell me so much of you! Jane, introduce us! Oh… hello Lizzie." And then there she was, all short skirt, tank top and high heels, and no body to fit it. My mother thinks that she can dress like a fifteen year old slut and get away with it. Two and a half words: she can't. Will looked at me, and raised an eyebrow.

"Your daughters tell you about me? One of them said she had never heard of me." He smirked in an annoying way at me, but I quickly burst his bubble.

"I have four sisters, Darcy." I pointed out, and Charlie burst into laughter.

"Oh, most would be dancing though. Lydia and Katie love to dance. Mary… well, no one pays mind to her. She's probably off reading something at the table over there." She waved a hand in the general direction of where Mary could be. My mother loved to blather on about nonsensical things. Yes, I could see it in that arrogant singer's eyes. He thought we were very uncultured.

Sure, we grew up in the south, but it's not like we're so redneck that we don't know anything. I've been accepted to Yale, and Jane is thinking of applying to Harvard for criminal justice. I'm not going to Yale though. My passion is singing, and I don't want to bust my ass at a school that wouldn't promote that sort of thing. Besides, I'm only twenty. I've got a little bit of time. I've already got an associate's degree from going to four semesters at Perimeter College. But this ass hole didn't know that.

"That's excellent!" Charlie beamed, but the mood of the table had been made into a very awkward one. Charlotte threw me a sympathetic glance before her date suddenly spoke up.

"I've been told that your aunt is the Catherine De Bourge! Is this true?!" He gushed in a dorky way. I resisted the urge to hit my head against a wall. Billy Collins was the standard nerd who loved to follow me and Charlotte around during high school. She accepted his "sweet advances" after a month of him stalking her.

Will glared daggers at him, and I almost feared for the dork. He didn't seem to notice and he smiled expectantly.

"Yes." He had dropped all attempts at furthering that conversation. Charlotte grabbed Bill's hand, and squeezed it in a, "shut up" kind of way. Bill merely looked clueless and then looked down at his drink, mumbling.

"I always wondered if you were really talented at music Will, can I call you Will? Well, it was your record company so I didn't know if you were good or not but you proved me wrong! How much money do you make anyway?" Gosh, my mother was a hound dog. She seemed to be trying to sniff the amount of money off of him. Will recoiled, and his posture stiffened. It was two different types of dogs meeting in an alleyway, one a mutt and the other a pampered pure bred. I winced at the analogy.

"A suitable amount, I would guess." He said stiffly before turning around and walking off, probably to find some more suitable friends to talk to. I had to hand it to him though, he held himself well with my dear old mother. She is a tough cookie.

"Ah, the ever dark Darcy. Don't you worry Elizabeth, he gets like that. It's a talent of his to do that." Jack seemed eager for me to talk to him, but I wasn't buying into his act at all. Players are players, and no skin they hide in can make them a chameleon.

"Who said I was worrying? Come on Charlotte, I want to dance." Grinning brightly, I grabbed my best friend's hand, and pulled her to the dance floor. Well, it was an attempt at a dance floor. The V.I.P. of Club Europe was mostly for sitting and drinking and talking while the people on the other side of the separation danced like crazy. I wanted to be on that side of the club, and the only thing stopping me was Jane. I couldn't leave her alone with the likes of Darcy's group. She was too nice.

"Lizzie, you handled yourself well with her." Charlotte informed me as we joined the small group dancing. Among them were people more like me, there through connections, not money. My family had money, but nothing near as big as Darcy and Bingley. Darcy was almost a billionaire and Charlie was a millionaire.

"She always embarrasses my family! It's like a child, I can't take her anywhere!" I tried to play it off as a joke, but Charlotte knew I was mortified.

"Well there's two hot guys here with our names on them." Charlotte sent a very inconspicuous glance at two boys who stood at the edge of the group, watching. They seemed European, and very interested. I looked back at Charlotte to see her grinning at them smoothly.

"You have a date, Lotte." I reprimanded her jokingly, but I knew it was too late. Charlotte was very pretty, and I didn't blame her for wanting to ditch the toad. At present, he was sitting at the booth, watching us with fascination. When he saw Lotte, he actually licked his lips. I repressed a shudder.

As they D.J. managed to covertly change songs, I let the beat take over me, and I slid into a new personality. There were never any worries when I was dancing. Dancing always let me relax. And boy did I need to relax.

* * *

I couldn't believe that the crowd I was subjecting myself to hang around was considered classy. The mother who dressed like she was two hundred pounds lighter was like a tabby, eyeing everyone and sizing them up. I had to walk away before I said something I would regret.

It was sad to think that Elizabeth came from something like that. Jane as well. Charlie was holding it off very well, smiling amiably, as if the fact they were almost spelling gold digger out on their chest didn't bother him. Jack was simply smiling maliciously, taking the situation in with a look that said quite clearly he was enjoying their ignorance way too much. I walked over to a few colleagues, but I didn't want to converse. I was much too disgusted with how the night was turning out to be.

There was a group in the section that was dancing in a slightly large circle, and I could see quite clearly that Elizabeth and her ok looking friend were dancing in the center. It wasn't slutty, but it wasn't simply swaying back and forth. Both of them could move, and move well.

Why was I staring? Setting my stern glare in place, I turned around and ordered a drink, Laubade, simply to have something to do with my hands. The place smelled strongly of smoke and sweat, and I couldn't stand the way everyone stared at me. Their eyes seemed to size me up, and they hungrily approached me if I stayed in one place too long. This type of crowd was the reason why I wanted to keep friends within my social status.

Charlie pulled Jane away from the crowd, and they found their way to the dance floor, joking around. Charlie could never dance, and they made a show of twirling her around slowly to a fast song. I couldn't believe he was lowering himself to her standards just to be with her. As I glanced around, I noticed that the only higher class of people were Charlie, Jack, a few of my workers, and me. It was sad really.

Charlie and Jane danced the whole night almost, taking breaks to come and keep me company. Jack had disappeared somewhere, probably out of the V.I.P. section to see the crowd of females out of this area. He was lucky.

He got to get out of this hell hole.

I noticed that Elizabeth and her friend hardly stopped dancing. Once they stopped when the small man from earlier pulled them aside and began loudly protesting about their dancing. Elizabeth seemed to shrug it off and pull her friend back over to the two men who they had been dancing with. She never stopped moving.

And for some reason her and her friend were the only two who didn't come near me -save Charlie and Jane- and try to talk to me. In fact, they seemed to stay right there in order to avoid me. Or maybe I was just imagining it. It was a relief that there were at least four people here that didn't care about my money. It was a shame that three were so close to the lower class culture surrounding me.

"Will!" Charlie walked over laughing, his voice loud over the music. "You need to go and dance! You're just sitting there, glaring at everyone. It's scary, and if I didn't know you any better I would have thought you were contemplating suicide!" I saw that Jane was no where to be seen, and her sister and their friend had also disappeared.

"Who said I wasn't?" I mumbled, grinding my teeth together. Charlie either didn't hear me, or chose to ignore my comment.

"Come on, just dance with a girl! I'm sure you saw Lizzie dancing! Can she move or what? Jane says you two would have a lot in common, she sings as well!" Wow, Charlie was really trying. The night as a whole made me in a mood bad enough that I was in no mood to mess with people like her.

"Her dancing is sad, Charlie. Do you honestly think I'd enjoy my time with a no talent hick like that? So what if she can sing. Karaoke isn't something she should brag about." I hope there was enough sting in that comment to make him really get the point. Charlie was never one for brains. Sure enough, I felt slightly bad when his face fell like a child who had been denied their favorite toy.

"Suit yourself Will. Have fun talking to yourself." He grinned cheekily, but his eyes grew wide when he glanced behind me. Raising an eyebrow, I was about to turn around when Jack walked up.

"Will! I found the hottest girl here. She doesn't even speak a lick of English! I feel the beginning of something wonderful brewing."

Funny, I feel the beginning of something painful brewing.

* * *

"Come on, just dance with a girl! I'm sure you saw Lizzie dancing! Can she move or what? Jane says you two would have a lot in common, she sings as well!" Charlie's bright and happy voice floated from behind us somewhere, and Lizzie laughed. She had figured that he was trying to use her as an excuse for Will to do something at his own party, but she knew it would most likely be in vain. The grump had walked around the entire booked section, glaring at everyone. Charlotte and her were waiting impatiently for an answer though, and trying to muffle their laughter.

"Her dancing is sad, Charlie. Do you honestly think I'd enjoy my time with a no talent hick like that? So what if she can sing? Karaoke isn't something she should brag about." His cold voice was like a slap to the face, and Lizzie knew her look of shock was mirroring Charlotte's. Lizzie could feel her face heating up, but she tried to suppress the feeling. There was no sense in letting him the get the best of her. Who was he? A rich, stuck up jerk who thought he was better than anyone from a "redneck hick town". He was a nobody. Lizzie knew that.

"Don't listen to him Liz-bear, he's just jealous his only curves are the makings of a beer gut." Charlotte whispered, and laughing, she pulled Lizzie over to the drink bar, where thy both ordered their favorites, a strawberry dacqri and a caramel apple martini.

The party was closing quickly; people getting tired and checking their watches. Elizabeth, Charlotte, Jane, and Charlie stayed back with Will to say good night to those leaving. Billy had left early, much to Charlotte's amusement and pity. As her mom left, Elizabeth turned bright red as she gushed drunkenly about how much fun she had. Along behind her came a girl dressed in all black, her nose in a book. Looking up from her book, no one was surprised to see that she had heavy dark makeup, and a nose piercing.

"That book looks interesting." Charlie commented to Mary, a nervous smile on his face.

"Yes, this is the book I've been waiting for. The Art of Dying is an excellent book based off of the many forms of suicide and homicide." She informed them dully, much to the entire group's mortification. Charlie almost theatrically gulped, and Will's face darkened. Lizzie took note of this, but she knew to hold in her annoyance with him. Now was not the time to go off.

"Where's Kitty and Lydia?" Jane asked her mother in a concerned manner, much to her drunken mother's amusement.

"OH! Hic- I do believe- teehee- that they left- hic! With their friend- hic-hic-hic- earlier! Oh, dearie, these hiccups!" Giggling, she walked out, swaying her hips grotesquely. Elizabeth flushed at the sight.

Finally, they were able to leave. Walking along with the group, Lizzie had to admit that it was an ok night. Leave out Darcy, and it was pretty much a good party. Charlotte, Charlie, and Jane dominated the conversation, Darcy sullen and quiet, Lizzie just quiet. As they reached their cars, Jane kissed Charlie good bye, and climbed into the driver's seat. Charlotte slid in back, and as Lizzie began to get into the front, Charlie asked in a concerned manner, "Are you ok Lizzie? You seem awfully quiet."

Lizzie grinned, and made a show of trying to talk. Jane started the car, and she rolled down the windows so Lizzie could finally spit out what she was trying to say.

"Sorry… I've just been trying to save my voice for tomorrow night's karaoke jam at Dugan's Bar. I kill it on that karaoke machine. You guys should come!" She grinned suddenly and shrugged, her eyes sparkling mischievously. Jane looked blankly at her sister, but Charlotte burst into laughter, much to the dismay of Will and Charlie. Charlie turned red, and spluttered something, while Will flushed a pale color, his hands stuffed into his pockets. Slowly, his gaze settled on Lizzie's and she returned his glare with an amused smirk.

Will couldn't stop staring. Her face was slightly red from dancing, her hair was pulled out of her face, so the scratches were still visible, but they seemed to blend in with her skin at the moment. It was her eyes that caught him. The light blue seemed unnatural for her to have, and the way she portrayed her emotions through them was incredible. Her eyes seemed to say, "You don't matter to me, your words mean nothing". She was amused at him, he could tell, and he couldn't find any kindness in her gaze. With a dip of his head, he turned around and let the darkness of the parking lot swallow him up. Jane smiled apologetically at Charlie before they backed out and pulled away.

"Lizzie?" Jane asked as they hit the highway, going east to home.

"Yes?" Lizzie asked with a laugh. She knew Jane wanted to know what the hell had happened.

"Do you enjoy doing that to people?" There was a moment of silence as everyone glanced at the girl in question.

"Every time."

* * *

"Will… she got you there." Charlie laughed as they sped towards the hotel a few blocks away. Will merely pressed harder on the gas pedal, his glare set.

"They're so low class Charlie. Honestly." Will ground out. I didn't like how she unnerved him. No one had that power over him.

"Jane's an angel!" Charlie spluttered, flabbergasted.

"She smiles too much." Will retorted, making an illegal u-turn.

"As an angel should!" was the tart reply.

* * *

_**Ah, that was fun. Oh yeah, I didn't want to mess with the whole Lizzie Jack thing. Don't worry, he'll play a bigger part later. But, I always thought Lizzie didn't need that drama, though it did pull Darcy and her closer together. But, never fear, I have an idea!!**_

_… **well, that is reason to fear… but anyway…**_

_**And these places? All real. I've been stuck growing up with them, haha. **_


	4. The Maddest Kind of Love

_Sorry it's taken so long to update guys. _

_I know… I do that a lot. _

_I'll quit that habit…_

…_one of these days._

_But, now that Anatomy of the Heart is done_

_:(_

_I'll be able to focus on this one. _

_Even though I'm working on two stories_

_in The Dark Knight section._

_So, R&R, KK?_

_MUAH!_

Music is the one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind but which mankind cannot comprehend.  
_- Ludwig van Beethoven_

"_**The maddest kind of love,**_

_**Is a love just for the thrill,**_

_**It doesn't have a conscious,**_

_**It only lives for the kill."**_

_** -**__Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, The Maddest Kind of Love_

**Here you go!**

* * *

Will was something that the majority of the world liked to call an odd ball. He hardly slept, most nights pulling in about four hours tops before he'd wake up and center his days on nothing but music. He was like The Phantom of the Opera, except cuter looking, but more obnoxious. People who had the misfortune of growing up with the great Will Darcy were able to testify on a daily basis that he hardly thought of anything else but music. He had once said, "If I didn't need sleep, I wouldn't. Why waste time with something meaningless when I can forever do the one thing that makes me happy?"

What a deep thought.

But, because of his strict sleeping schedule, it was well known that you weren't supposed to interrupt it. Will's friends, and hell, even his enemies knew this.

"WILL!" Charlie jumped eagerly onto the mattress, landing half on the lump in the middle of the bed and half off of the bed. As he slipped on the sheets, he toppled off of the queen sized bed and there was a dull thud as his head smacked smartly against the wall. The lump in question in the middle of this bed was slowly moving to life as a very angry Will Darcy emerged from the blankets.

"What?" He snapped, shrugging off the sheets and glaring down on the floor where Charlie laid, sprawled on the carpet and still laughing.

"It's time to wake up, Will." Charlie said knowingly, a grin still etched on his face. Will glanced at his clock and his frown deepened. His throat felt like a wounded animal had crawled into it and died, and an aching throb was centering around his temples. This itself was disconcerting since he had only one drink the night before, but Will had never been known as a heavy drinker. Even a simple beer had him buzzed after two.

"What the hell is your problem?" Will snapped, falling back onto his covers and groaning loudly. "I still have ten minutes of sleep. What's the point of waking me up now?" He suddenly sneezed violently and grumbled something under his breath about allergies and Georgia. Charlie sat up from the floor, a grin still on his face.

"Hey, chill. I've come to bring tidings of friggen great joy… not. Remember when I said my sister Caroline wasn't coming because she was in Madrid, modeling?" Charlie prodded, a grin still in place. Will didn't like the way he was grinning; he could feel bad luck settling into his gut. Or maybe it was the alcohol. He couldn't be sure. Either way, he felt like he was about to throw up, and his idiotic manager sitting stupidly on his floor looked like a good target.

"Yes…" Will closed his eyes and attempted to drift off.

"Well, she finished early… well, two days ago, actually. So, she decided to book a flight and come here. She should be arriving… oh, I don't know… in ten minutes?" Charlie stopped fidgeting as he waited with an foolish grin still in place. Will suddenly shot up, shock rippling through his system as he stared back at his friend.

"What… did you say?" He asked angrily, feeling disgust set in. Behind the disgust and anger though was a slight ripple of fear that he tried in vain to suppress.

"Well… I'm saying… you better run." Charlie advised with a wicked glint in his eyes. Will flew out of his room so fast Charlie felt almost tempted to pull out a stopwatch, if he had one. Alas, that was still in his suitcase.

"Why me?" Will groaned as he ran into the large bathroom to jump into the shower. His stomach rolled around unpleasantly and threatened to blow, but he managed to stem down the desire with his panic.

He had to get out of the penthouse suit in less than ten minutes.

Caroline Bingley was Charlie's older sister who was also well known to the tabloids. With her contract to the pristine modeling agency, Elite, and her spreads in over six different teen magazines repeatedly, Caroline was well on her way to stardom. She was tall and leggy with natural tan skin and no real acne problems to speak of. She had startling blue eyes and soft, silky blond hair. With cheekbones to die for, and a shape that made more than just boys stare, she was what America would call gorgeous.

She was also a stuck up bitch.

The thing about Caroline that made Will wince was that in third grade at their private school, Caroline Bingley had it in her mind that she would marry Will if it was the last thing she did. She was yelling this to him across the playground after, unsuccessfully, trying to kiss him. Ever since then, she had followed him from city to city, country to country, hoping that one day he would turn his attention to her. As long as she wasn't in the middle of a modeling trip, she was with him. It was enough to drive him up the wall and back down from the other side. She was the type of woman he hated. Caroline thought she was better than others because she was rich.

If there was one thing that would condemn a woman in Will's eyes forever, it was pride.

Drying off quickly, he rushed back into his room with a towel, irked that Charlie was sprawled across his bed, staring aimlessly up at the ceiling.

"What are you doing?" He snapped, grabbing his clothes and dressing quickly. Since he didn't have anywhere special to be until four that afternoon, he would stick with a simple Canali pinstripe suit.

"There's no point in trying to hide." Charlie mused from his place on the bed. "She'll find you anyway." Pulling his shirt on, Will grunted something that sounded awfully close to, "useless prick" before grabbing his coat jacket and tearing out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Charlie yelled as he heard Will curse from the kitchen as he tried to find his wallet and sunglasses.

"Why would you care?" Will shouted back as he struggled to make sure he had everything he'd need. Glancing down at his i-phone, Will realized that he only had three minutes left. It was a good thing Caroline believed in being fashionably late. Turning around, Will tore back down the hallway, annoyance kicking in. If Charlie could keep his sister in check, Will would have been able to wake up on time, and focus on his music easier. Now, he was reduced to running around in an immature manner in an effort to get away from a gold digging whore.

"I'm your manager, I have to care!" Charlie exclaimed, laughing. He nearly fell off of the bed again when Will suddenly appeared in the doorway to his room, glaring daggers out of his green eyes.

"And who's to say that my manager, who takes care of me so well might I add, isn't just going to tell little miss Caroline where I've headed off to, hm?" He retorted darkly. Charlie only laughed and shrugged.

"You've got a good point." He admitted as Will turned and stalked down the hallway to the door. "AT LEAST TAKE A BODYGUARD!" He shouted when the idea suddenly hit him. Will had just preformed his concert, meaning people from all around would be looking for him now. No need to cause a problem from something trivial like Will refusing an autograph. Again.

"No promises." Will grumbled to himself as he grabbed his favorite guitar and slammed the door to the penthouse closed.

* * *

_**Two Hours Before**_

Lizzie was in pain before she even woke up. Her entire shoulder ached, and threatened to tear itself open. When she took in a choked breath of surprise at how horrible she felt, the bruises across her mid-drift pulled; reminding her of everywhere she had gotten damaged. Her head screamed at her for being so stupid and forgetting to take the pain killers that her sister had given her, and in response she moaned something unintelligible and promptly rolled off of her bed.

"Jane…" She yelled into the floor of her bedroom, her voice muffled considerably as she didn't move from her less than stellar face plant.

"Did you ca- oh Lizzie, what happened?" Jane ran into the room, all concern, but as Lizzie peered up at her sister from the corner of her eye, she could tell that Jane was stifling laughter. Pulling herself up, Lizzie hissed breath out between her teeth as her shoulder twinged uncomfortably.

"I fell off of my bed, what does it look like?" She replied heavily as she stood up slowly, testing out her legs. Thankfully, she hadn't slammed her knee into the dashboard like the wreck before that, so the only thing she really had to worry about was her shoulder, chest, and stomach. Goody.

"I mean, why did you fall out of bed?" Jane laughed and turned around to leave the room, calling back to her sister, "Is there some new fad I've not been introduced to yet?" Lizzie rolled her eyes at her sister's needless laughter.

"It's so nice to know my sister is concerned about how I feel after my wreck." Lizzie muttered to herself as she stumbled into the bathroom to see just how bad it was.

They had gotten back so late from club Europe that she hadn't bothered to take her makeup off, and the smudged circles around her eyes testified to her gross appearance. Her curly hair was twisted into a loose messy bun on top of her head, and her skin was oily looking.

"Ugh." Lizzie grumbled when she saw the shallow cuts on the side of her face, courtesy of the glass shattering. It looked like a cat randomly attacked her face, leaving short, bright red slices. This was not going to help with appearances at work. Lizzie was probing them with thick fingers when Jane walked into the bathroom bearing pain killers and alcohol pads.

"Oh, Lizzie." Jane admonished lightly as she pulled her sister's hand away and searched the cuts herself. Dabbing at them with an alcohol pad, Jane ignored Lizzie's over-exaggerated looks of pain as the solution stung her skin.

"How'd we escape me being carted off to the hospital?" Lizzie asked curiously as she tried to focus on anything but the pain that was lancing up her stomach and across her shoulder. It was a strong ache like she had been thrown from a jet ski and slammed against the surface of the water.

"Since Charlie is Will's manager and Will is well, you know who he is, it was instantly assumed that you were going with him to have specialized tests on everything needed by more expensive doctors. Because we didn't, and I stupidly assumed you were alright, I didn't take you in. Oh Lizzie, I'm so sorry!" Jane exclaimed, surveying the bruising on her shoulder and collarbone. Lizzie shied away from the scrutiny, hating that her sister felt bad.

"It's fine, really. I just need to take work easy today." Lizzie stood up and smiled past her gritted teeth.

"What!" Jane snapped in shock. "You're going to work?! You were just in an accident!" She exclaimed, and for a second Lizzie felt fear. Her sister (when trying to play a motherly role) was a scary force to behold.

"I know." She replied steadily. "I've got a big gig to go to tonight in Athens. They're letting me play at the 40 Watt Club. I'm not giving that up just because of a car crash!"

"Lizzie, it's just a gig." Jane grumbled, following her sister as Lizzie stomped into her bedroom to grab her clothes for her other job, helping one of her best friends, DJ Biggz, make mixes for his club.

"No." She froze and turned back to her sister, raising an eyebrow calmly, despite the protests her muscles gave. "Jane… it could be the gig. It might not be, hell, it most likely won't be. But, why risk it just because I'm a little sore? I'm going tonight." Lizzie could feel a slight fight between her sister and her, though it would be more her arguing and Jane trying to persuade. Jane rarely fought, and it took hours of provocation before she snapped.

"Ugh, Lizzie, at least let me come and see to make sure you're ok?" Jane asked with a pouty lip. Lizzie laughed and shrugged.

"Sure, why not? I won't stop you from watching me. You could even invite Charlie if you wanted to." Lizzie walked back into the bathroom and slammed the door smartly, but winced and fell back against the door when her shoulder burst into flaming tendrils of pain.

"Son of a biscuit eater." Lizzie groaned as she grabbed her shoulder in pain.

"I heard that." Jane called out with a laugh.

* * *

"Hey, Charlie?"

"Hey babe, what's up?"

"I was wondering… what are you doing around eight tonight? If you're busy, it's ok, but you know, I just wanted to know…"

"Well, I was going to show my sister a night in Atlanta, but do you have anything planned?"

"I wanted to take you to see my sister singing, but if you're busy-"

"Jane, it's an excellent idea! Can a bring Caroline too? She'd love you."

"Sure! You could even bring Will… I mean, if he's up for it."

"I'll prod him into it. After his comment last night, I'll make him eat his heart out."

"What comment?"

"Oh, uh… don't worry about it babe, he'll love to come."

"Oh… um, ok. Thanks Charlie!"

"Anytime babe."

* * *

Will stepped out onto the campus of UGA with a curl of disgust to his lip. He hated the way people ran past screaming at the top of their lungs after the people merely a few feet away from them, and he almost choked on his spit when he saw a couple making out on the bus ramp as they waited for the bus to show.

"Are you ok, sir?" His bodyguard, Steven, stepped to his side and scanned the perimeter of the campus, his keen eyes catching every movement. Steven had been hired for his way of getting operations done; swift, fast, and deadly was his motto. Appearances were everything to Steven, and Will had hired him almost immediately.

"Just peachy." Will grumbled as he grabbed his guitar case and began walking up a few steps to the well manicured lawn. Gazing around at the many trees lining the sides and walkways, Will spotted a secluded alcove and began walking towards it slowly, trying not to draw too much attention to himself. Steven followed closely behind him, but at a casual pace to make it seem like he was a friend, not a bodyguard.

"Sir, if I may say why did you come to UGA of all places?" Steven asked as Will reached the large tree. Slipping around to the back side of it, he promptly sat down after clearing away a few leaves and setting the inner part of his jacket on the ground.

"They look my age, and most of them would be partying in their frat houses instead of going to a Will Darcy concert, meaning not a lot of people at UGA would expect me to be here, of all places." Will replied simply. Steven nodded slowly and settled himself in such a way that he could see all comings and goings from around their initial area.

Will sighed slowly as he pulled his guitar out. The moment he set the polished wood on his lap, he could almost feel the morning's tension fading away. Who cared about Caroline Bingley?

He let his fingers slide over the steel strings and smiled softly when a light, crooning noise echoed from the belly of the instrument. Letting his head fall back against the rough bark of the tree, Will began playing random chords, smiling to himself as they fit together.

Closing his eyes, Will let the emotions take over on their own accord, and wasn't surprised when a confused muddle of notes erupted from his fingertips. But what was confusing him the most?

"Elizabeth Bennett." Will muttered and a high pitched melody came, unbidden. Opening his eyes, he noticed Steven was giving him half of an ear as he stared around, on constant alert.

But why was she confusing? Because she didn't begin apologizing profusely for crashing into him? Was it that she didn't seem to care that he had insulted her? Was it because her eyes seemed to see every little thing about him and tell him that what she had found didn't matter?

"The stars in the sky were caught plagiarizing your eyes." He sang softly picking that melody again, but froze. What was wrong with him? Her eyes weren't that pretty. Well, maybe they were. But it didn't mean he needed to sing about it. Like she deserved for him to sing about it.

"But don't blame the stars, who wouldn't be jealous?" He added, and then laughed. He could think of many who would be prettier than Elizabeth Bennett. Half of his acquaintances were far better looking, and the other half had better class as well.

"I'm sure if they could do better they would." Another strum and he finally decided to cave. It was obviously on his mind, what better way to get rid of it than by playing?

"And why not copy perfection?" Will inwardly balked. As if.

"Why are you so angry with the way they shine?" At least that was the truth. Will noticed Steven was listening intently. Even his bodyguard couldn't resist his music.

"It's no their fault your beautiful." What the hell was his problem? He was not attracted in the least to Elizabeth Bennett! That in itself was simple.

"Forgive them, they only mean to show you how you glow." He strummed lightly and sighed.

"So that when I see the stars I'll think of you."

* * *

Lizzie walked into the apartment with a smile. She was feeling a little high on life after she had taken her pain killers, and to top it off she had devoured way too much Taco Bell.

"Biggz?" She called out as she set her bag down and followed the noise of a bass speaker humming in the sound room. As she walked to the back a large rottweiler came around the corner and, seeing her, began barking and going crazy as he bounded over and began licking her with gusto.

"Trigger, get off!" Lizzie laughed but winced as his overly large paw connected with her stomach, thus bowling her over. Barking in excitement, Trigger began licking her face, and she was sure she was done for.

"Eh, Trigger, get off. Que onda, chica? Why're you letting dogs jump all over you?" A very large Hispanic man pulled Trigger off of her, giving Lizzie room to breathe. Laughing vaguely, she stood up and gave her friend a hug.

Lizzie was what a lot of people liked to call a music guru. She loved any type of music, and for that she was able to fling herself into the night life of any genre, and her friends were somewhat similar. That's how she met DJ Biggz in a small club around Alphareda Georgia called Los Maguey's. The moment she dared to tell him his beat had been off for 1/8 of a second when he switched songs and began scratching to cover it up (she had to admit he had covered it up well) was their memorable meeting. After a few words being thrown between them, a fast friendship had been made. According to others, it was a rarity that Biggz opened up to her. He had a hard time leaving his comfort zone. Now, Lizzie went up to his apartment and they worked together to make mixes for cover albums. It was considered her "job", and she loved it.

"It's a new past time." She laughed as she followed him to the back room where all of his equipment was. Stepping into the room, she smiled and waved as Luis, Lupe, Tony, Clara, Jose, Adon, Ricky, Matteo, and Mike began calling out greetings and waving their drinks around. Pit Bull was playing in a stereo as they picked their way past the group, Lizzie stopping to give hugs.

"Not a good past time, hermanita. Te comería for breakfast if you weren't so pretty." Adon, her ex- boyfriend joked. shouted something Lizzie didn't catch, much to the group's amusement, and Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"What are we doing today?" She asked as she reached the other side. A large sound booth held dual decks, speakers, a kaoss pad for mixing, and a scratching system. It was a smaller version of what Biggz had for the actual club.

"Today is a relaxed day. Tu hermana called." Biggz folded his arms and smirked, making Lizzie blush, much to everyone's amusement.

"Biggz! It wasn't serious!" She exclaimed, but Clara laughed.

"I call… bull shit." She said, pointing her cigarette in Lizzie's general direction. Lizzie rolled her eyes

"Come on guys, I'm fine! Jose, surely you believe me!" Lizzie stared at the suddenly on the spot MC. He grinned weakly at everyone's stares.

"Mírame Lizzie, sorry, but I'm staying out of it." He raised his hands in mock surrender.

"You crashed into that white boy, Darcy, es verdad?" Clara asked with raised eyebrows. That set everyone else off with laughter. Lizzie turned red and glared at her friend.

Clara was the type of girl who was one of the guys, but was also one that the guys wanted. She was laid back, pretty, and her dry humor made everyone laugh. She was tall and curvy with curly dark hair and a Puerto Rican color that Lizzie secretly envied. Her dark brown eyes were always laughing.

"Yeah, but his driver wasn't watching for me either!" Lizzie tried to defend herself. Lupe pulled her down into a chair next to his. She fell back into the chair and pushed Lupe away with a good natured grumble. Lupe was known as a ladies man with a good heart, but commitment issues.

"Escúchame Lizzie. Twist your story around, and take all of the money that guy has." He joked, causing more laughter. Biggz had taken his post at the sound booth, messing around with a new song from Daddy Yankee.

"You wouldn't." Matteo asked, faking surprise. Lizzie smiled.

"I would." Jose confirmed as he nodded, causing everyone to being stating their opinion of what they would do in rapid-fire spanish.

"Was he hot?" Clara asked bluntly.

"Yeah, but he was a complete jerk!" Lizzie rolled her eyes at everyone's laughter. Biggz removed the earphones from his ears.

"No cajones." Biggz agreed with her and laughed. "I want to meet him." Lizzie's eyes widened.

"You'd tear him apart." She said in horror. Clara laughed.

"That's the point, chica. Haven't you been listening?"

* * *

Will slid into the seat with the cheap linoleum top with as much dignity as he could muster. There wasn't much, considering where he was. The 40 Watt club was not a high scale club, and if Will didn't know any better, it was covered in S.T.D's. It was both to his horror and embarrassment when he was sarcastically reassured.

"Don't worry Darcy; you won't catch a disease just from breathing the air crack addicts have." Lizzie informed him dryly as she walked past him towards a door in the back. Will turned back to reply, but she was already gone, the only reminder that she had been there being the smell of vanilla. He couldn't help but wipe at the table idly with a napkin.

"Oh my gawd, what are we doing here?" A smooth but disgusted voice snapped behind Will, and turning around he saw both his saviors and his grim reaper. His lawyer Jack Wickam was flanked by Jane, Charlie, Charlotte, and his personal hell in designer clothing; Caroline. Everyone settled into the chairs around him, save Charlotte, who with a brief greeting slipped into the back room to see Lizzie before she went on.

"We're here to see Lizzie perform." Charlie said brightly, giving Caroline a pointed look. Caroline glanced at him with a look of venom before turning her attention to Will.

"Why, Will, it's good to see you." She purred softly in his ear as she linked her arm with his. Will blinked and looked at her strangely, debating whether he could get away with the hangover excuse for vomiting on her. Probably not.

"It's good to see you to." He managed to bite out. Caroline smiled blithely and leaned in.

"I suppose we're going to have to brave the common world. Alone. Just you and me against the rest of this so called high society." She whispered with a grin in his ear. Will detangled himself slowly, wincing inwardly at the mention of them being… alone.

"I suppose." He gave in, glancing around the room. People were filling in slowly; their eyes alight with excitement as they chattered brightly. A few men dressed in pinstripe suits were bringing a few instruments on stage, and their calm, collected faces made Will smirk to himself. They were trying to portray jazz singers? One man's eyes sparkled too might with nerves to be considered laid back, and the other guy's hands twitched, like he was going through a withdrawal. It wouldn't surprise him if the man was hooked on heroine.

"What kind of concert is this?" Caroline asked after a few moments of awkward silence. Charlie smiled brightly and leaned over to his sister, causing her to withdraw towards Will, who threw a pointed glare in Charlie's direction. He looked to his other side to see Jack turned away from them completely as he checked out every woman who walked past.

"It's a jazz performance." Jack informed them blandly as he looked unwillingly back in their direction. Charlie closed his mouth mid-word and nodded brightly.

"Yeah, and Lizzie's the main act!" Charlie gushed, making Jane smile slightly.

"Who's Lizzie?" Caroline asked immediately after, leaning into Will for answers.

"She's Jane's sister." Will muttered as he locked gazes solemnly with the menu on the table. It said he could pay 20 for cheap booze for the entire table or pay 5 per drink for himself.

"Is she pretty?" Caroline demanded. Will winced.

"Are you kidding?" Jack gushed brightly. "She's hot! Isn't that right, Will?" Will shrugged and kept eye contact with the menu. He could get sex on the beach for 8.

"I suppose." He replied slowly. "If you like that sort of thing."

"Do you like that sort of thing?" Caroline asked impatiently.

"… No."

* * *

"Lizzie, you look hot." Charlotte gushed as she looked her friend up and down. Lizzie blushed slightly but shrugged. She was used to Charlotte always going on about her looks, and she had learned early not to argue. Charlotte was law when it came to appearances. Biting back a grin she dry swallowed her pain medicine.

"Thanks Lottie." She smiled a little bit wider and turned back to her mirror to stare at her hair. Fixing it with a few tucked strands, she reapplied her makeup to darken it for the stage lights. Grabbing baby powder, she rubbed her hands into it and then spread the powder along her legs, blending it into her skin. Charlotte was talking about something or other, but Lizzie had to confess she wasn't entirely listening. Her mind was focusing on her performance.

"… And I've got him right in your line of vision to where he has no where to look but at you." She gushed, and Lizzie felt her stomach shift uncomfortably. Looking up, she glared at Charlotte as she realized what her friend was talking about.

"Are you trying to ruin my gig?" She asked, dangerously quiet. Charlotte grinned complacently.

"No… I'm ruining his. Just do your performance Lizzie, that's all you have to worry about. But I've got him taken care of, don't fret. He'll regret ever crossing you." Charlotte smiled and hugged her friend, careful not to get anything mussed up. Stepping back, she winked before leaving the dressing room.

Lizzie took a deep breath as she turned back to the mirror. Her outfit was ready, but she wasn't. She was exhausted, and now Charlotte was going to make more trouble by messing with the stuck up prick, Darcy.

"Well…" She mused, and a smile played across her lips. Anything to get back at that self absorbed "gentleman" would be amusing. Besides, what better way than to beat him at his own game?

And Lizzie was always up for a clean, fun prank.

"Liz, you're up." The stage manager, Rick, smiled briefly before disappearing behind the door. Standing up, Lizzie followed through the small, straight hallway before she found herself right behind stage. Taking deep breaths, she peered behind the curtain and saw a full house of people ranging from 18- 30 years of age. The knots loosened when she saw the amount of people she would sing to. Lizzie loved to play for a crowd.

"Go on." Rick, the manager whispered with a thumbs up sign, and Lizzie stepped onto the stage right as the lights went out. The entire crowd began cheering as Rick grabbed a mike and began speaking to the crowd in an all male alluring tone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my utmost pleasure to bring to you tonight, the temptress of mankind, Miss Elizabeth, the Johara herself!" The entire crowd went wild, and a strange feeling took over her. She walked up slowly, another persona entirely taking over as her slender hands wrapped around the microphone calmly. She glanced down as she sensed rather than heard her band members taking their spots. As the lights flashed on, she flickered her gaze up, momentarily blinded by the stage lights. She let her eyes slide over the crowd smoothly, caressing everyone with her gaze even though she could hardly see them. When her gaze locked with what she thought was Jane, she let a cool, confidant smile take over her face before she let herself lock gazes with the pompous bastard himself, Will. It was easy to tell it was him from his stiff posture. Next to him sat a bimbo, and on the other side where the glare of the lights slackened sat Charlotte and Jack. Charlotte was smiling smugly.

As the intro to the song began softly, Lizzie let her grin slide into a cool, calm smile before she opened her lips to form the notes she knew so well.

And then, she sang.

* * *

Will was transfixed the moment the light shone on her. She was dressed in something that could only be described as classy and smooth. The fire engine red dress complimented her figure and contrasted greatly with her ivory skin tone. Her thick and curly brown hair was pinned up and away from her face, but there was obviously a few purposely stray strands framing her face nicely. Her ice blue eyes met everyone's stare confidently, and when their gazes met, he felt his insides turn to fire on their own accord. She was holding the old fashioned microphone idly, like it didn't matter, but the moment she began to sing, all hope was lost.

"_Never know how much I love you,_

_Never know how much I care,_

_When you put your arms around me,_

_I get a fever that's so hard to bear."_

Her voice was soft like velvet, but cool like ice. As her gaze lifted up to the crowd, she gripped the microphone like she was trying to contain herself. Her frosty stare suddenly fell on Will, and he felt locked into his seat as she stared right at him. She lifted a dainty leg and wrapped it around the stand, sliding down slowly, pulling the mic with her.

"_You give me fever  
When you kiss me  
Fever when you hold me tight  
Fever  
In the morning  
Fever all through the night."_

Everything was disappearing around him. He could only hear her and the soft, mellow jazz instruments in the background as she stared dead on at him, a smirk hinting at the corners of her full lips. Silky tones caressed he ears as she breathed softly the first verse.

"_Sun lights up the daytime  
Moon lights up the night  
I light up when you call my name  
And you know I'm gonna treat you right."_

Charlotte grinned smugly as she stared at the helpless Will Darcy. He was slack jawed as he stared up at the temptress on stage. Charlotte always knew Lizzie could enchant the pants off of a missionary when she sang, but this took the cake. The plastic bimbo next to him was whispering in his ear, but it was obvious he wasn't listening. His green eyes were trained on Lizzie as she pulled the microphone off of the stand and began walking slowly, letting the crimson dress trail after her.

"He'll fall soon." She whispered to herself with a smirk.

"_You give me fever  
When you kiss me  
Fever when you hold me tight,"_

She passed the man at the piano, and with a smile she slid an arm around him and sidled in next to him, pulling him close and winking before she took his fedora hat and placed it on her head with a tilt to it. Will had never seen something so alluring from a woman before. It was a simple motion, but it promised so much more, but in a classy way that left one to question whether she was innocent or not.

"_Fever  
In the morning  
Fever all through the night."_

Lizzie had to congratulate herself as she watched the ever confidant Will staring after her like an idiot. She almost wished she had a camera to capture it. Talentless hick? Right. Says the man drooling after her like a starving mutt after a raw steak.

"_Everybody's got the fever  
That is something you all know  
Fever isn't such a new thing  
Fever started long ago."_

Will could feel someone prodding him, but he couldn't look away. Her voice was smooth and deep with mellow undertones as she caressed the words between her lips, letting them fan out and capture every man's attention. Some part of him was telling him to get a grip of himself as he watched her slide the microphone back and tilt her hat as she cocked a hip, but he couldn't. He was caught under some sort of spell, and she wasn't going to let go. Not with a voice like that.

"_Romeo loved Juliet  
Juliet she felt the same  
When he put his arms around her,  
He said Julie, baby, you're my flame."_

"So Darcy, what'd you think?" Lizzie asked brightly as they slid into a booth for tacos. After her performance, Lizzie had made sure they left almost immediately to escape the after party. It would be too wild for Jane to handle, she had boasted. It was then decided, rather loudly, that they would celebrate her performance at Taco Bell nearby.

"It was interesting." He replied after a moment of silence. Charlotte dug her arm into Lizzie's side, causing silent laughter between the two. Will surveyed them with suspicious eyes.

"_Thou givest fever  
When we kisseth  
Fever with thy flaming youth  
Fever, I'm a fire  
Fever, yay, I burn forsooth."_

"I think it was rather loose of you to perform that way." Caroline stated as she stayed close to Jack and Will. "I mean, do you know how many men were staring at you like some piece of meat?" She asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Probably about as many that ogle your bare bum in your playboy spreads." Lizzie shrugged, but her eyes lit up when she saw Charlie and Jane come back with trays of food. Will covered his smile with a quick pass over of his hand, but Jack burst into laughter as he leaned over the table to give her a high five. Caroline rolled her eyes.

"At least I'm obvious about my intentions." She snapped, failing to realize how whorish her statement sounded. Lizzie bit back a grin.

"I think it was hot." Jack said with a wink. Will had enough sense to not verbally agree. Though her singing was better than he imagined, the moment he realized that an entire tray of food was all hers, any good feelings he had for a fellow singer vanished. Someone who really cared about performing would care about looks, and weight was a big issue among singers.

"Much obliged." Lizzie replied cheerfully, grabbing a taquito with gusto. Glancing up, she felt slightly self conscious to see Caroline, Jack, and Darcy all staring at her with mixed looks. The prominent look being disgust, she swallowed a bite and held it out to Caroline.

"Want some?" She asked brightly, a wicked glint in her eye. Caroline practically flinched away.

"No, I'm watching my weight." She sniffed, turning towards Will to give him a pointed look. Will shrugged, but he silently agreed with Caroline's point. She shouldn't be throwing away her perfectly fine body because of a cheesy restaurant named Taco Bell.

"So am I, but I'm not going to pass up food like this. There's-"

"Nothing better than cheap, fake Hispanic food served by angry Mexicans!" Charlotte and Lizzie chorused together, smacking high fives with one another.

"_Captain Smith and Pocahontas  
Had a very mad affair  
When her daddy tried to kill him,  
She said daddy, no, don't you dare_,"

"Seeya Charlie… Darcy." Lizzie raised an eyebrow and stuck her hand out. Will shook it slowly, his dark eyes surveying her. He couldn't believe a voice like the one she had could be so misused by the woman who had it. It was like she was purposely abusing her talent. He wouldn't put it past a redneck from the south. Her southern twang was kicking in over time as the night wore on, signaling that she was probably either doing it on purpose, or getting too tired to cover it up.

"We'll see each other soon, Lizzie." Charlie promised brightly before turning and saying a more private goodbye to his girlfriend. Will stared down at Lizzie as she returned his gaze angrily, her height putting her at an extreme disadvantage. Still, she stared back angrily, daring him to say something else about her.

"_He gives me fever,  
With his kisses, fever when he holds me tight  
Fever I'm his Mrs.  
Daddy, won' t you treat him right_."

"It would appear, Miss Bennett, that I've been proven wrong. Please excuse my mistake." He whispered softly as her words echoed around his head. Lizzie raised an eyebrow.

"And what mistake is that?" She asked with a hand placed on her hip. Will took a deep breath and let himself fall into her sardonic, glacial stare.

"You sing wonderfully." He informed her softly before nodding his head respectfully and turning away to the car. Something was mentally berating himself for letting her know that fact. It wasn't like she deserved the compliment.

"Right back at you." She replied before turning around and walking off with Charlotte, the auburn girl turning and giving an almost imperceptible smirk before following her enigma of a friend.

* * *

"I can't believe that she would eat that much! What a cow!" Caroline raged as she flung herself into the limousine with a huff. Charlie rolled his eyes, but Darcy remained silent as he bleakly followed into the vehicle. Settling down, he reached into the mini fridge and pulled out a mineral water.

"She's not a cow, Caroline, she's just not eating rabbit food." Charlie snapped irritably as he snatched the mineral water from Will and took a long gulp of it. Snapping his head back in the universal sign for, "yuck," he passed it back and then proceeded to rummage through the mini fridge.

"She should! Did you see the size of her thighs, Will? She's going to let herself go soon if she eats much more of that trash." She glared pointedly at Will, who merely shrugged.

"Anyone who eats that is verging unhealthy, but I didn't notice anything about her thighs." He sighed and mumbled, "I was looking more at her eyes, actually." The entire limo went silent as Charlie and Caroline turned to stare outright at Will. Will froze as he realized that he had said that statement out loud, and he could feel himself turning slightly red.

"I mean," He stammered, "What I meant to say, was, uh-"

"Oh, you like her eyes?" Caroline asked with a savage smile.

"_Now you've listened to my story,  
Here's the point that I have made," _

"They're an interesting color is all." He mumbled under his breath. Charlie smothered a grin before he grabbed his cell phone to begin texting Jane the unusual phenomenon.

"Charlie, if you send that text, I'll ruin you financially forever." Will warned in under tones as he popped his knuckles threateningly. Charlie laughed.

"Will, not everyone is as concerned with their finances like you are." Will rolled his eyes, but turned to the window to brood on his slip of the tongue.

"_Chicks were born to give you fever  
Be it farenheit or centigrade,"_

So what if her eyes were pretty? So what if she could sing well? It was made perfectly clear after her show that she had no real class. She easily pushed away any attempts at reason for her health, which was preposterous. The fact that she would sing to tempt men into thinking things that could never be showed Will exactly what kind of woman she could be.

"_They give you fever  
When you kiss them,"_

They soon reached the hotel using the empty carpool lane the entire way, and as they reached the top of the hotel, Will was struck with weariness. He could hear Caroline's incessant chatter, but he wasn't really listening. Letting his suit jacket drop from his shoulders, he let it fall onto a chair in the hallway before he let his feet drag past the living room and into a special room prepared only for him.

"Will?" Caroline called, and he winced. Turning around, he saw her staring at him, hip cocked out, looking beautiful, but unwanted. She raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"I'm going to play music." He replied dully before walking into the room and slamming the door on Caroline's shocked face.

"_Fever if you live, you learn  
Fever, till you sizzle," _

He let his fingers run across the ivory masterpiece before him before he settled on the bench and pressed against the keys, letting the bits strike against the steel strings in the core of the piano. The sound was hushed and foreboding. He chuckled softly and rolled his eyes. Why was he so unsettled by this? It wasn't completely unnatural, it has happened before.

"_What a lovely way to burn,"_

He let himself go, watching his fingers find the right keys as he began playing the song she had sung earlier. So what if she was interesting? So what if she didn't care about him? So what if she could sing? It didn't mean he should be worried that he was unsettled by her. She was only a random redneck girl with an unnaturally nice voice. Sure, it was strange that she didn't seem to care about his opinion, but who cared? The curiosity would pass soon. It's not like he was in danger of actually liking her.

"_What a lovely way to burn,"_

He laughed softly, picturing her eyes as they both froze him and burned him. She seemed to be two completely different people when she looked at him. It was like a paradox across her face. It was strange that her eyes could hold so many emotions like that. He was sure he had never seen something so different before.

_"What a lovely way to burn,"_

He fiddled with the bridge to the end, adding a slight C sharp rise before he let it glide down to an E flat. Sighing, he leaned against the piano, resigning himself to the fact that she would be a puzzle to him for a very, very long time.

_"What a lovely way to burn."_

* * *

_So, fourteen pages?! _

_Awesome. _

_Sorry it's taken so long to update, _

_I'm pretty busy with school_

_And I'm trying to get on base with this story again. _

_I promised I'd keep it going, _

_So,_

_Here I am!_


	5. Poor Poor Pitiful Riot Girl

_Thanks for the reviews guys_

_They make my day_

_Though one problem…_

_I went to the Jane Austen page_

_And it doesn't show_

_That I updated. _

_Why? _

_Does it show up on your page?_

_Or does it only show up in e-mails_

_If you have me for an author alert,_

_Or a story alert? _

_Just peachy :( not._

_So, just read, enjoy_

_Though there weren't many reviews for this :(_

_So give me 15, _

_And I'll update sooner than usual, _

_Ok?_

_Don't, _

_And I'll get so discouraged, _

_I'll hardly ever update. :)_

"_Emergency call 911,_

_She's pissed off at everyone,_

_Police, rescue, FBI,_

_She wants a riot, _

_She wants a riot."_

_**-Good Charlotte, Riot Girl**_

_And then, for Will:_

"_Poor, poor, pitiful me,_

_All these wars won't let me be,_

_Lord have mercy on me,_

_Woe, woe is me."_

_-__**Terri Clark, Poor Poor Pitiful Me**_

* * *

"Jane, he has no soul." Lizzie muttered darkly as she grabbed her sugared cereal from the cabinet of their apartment back in Conyers. It was early morning Saturday, and Charlie had called to invite them to eat lunch with the whole group since Will's next concert wouldn't be until that next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Jane, being completely love struck, quickly agreed.

Lizzie, I think you're being irrational." Jane scolded with a roll of her eyes as she grabbed a yogurt smoothie from the fridge. Lizzie's jaw dropped but she quickly closed it, seeing as she didn't want to drop cereal all over her lap. She was currently eating on the couch in her pajamas as she flipped through the music channels.

"Did you hear what he said about me?" She demanded, stopping the rapid change of channels when she reached the Latino MTV. Hector El Bambino captured her attention for a moment as she listened intently.

"No, Charlie did mention he said something though…" Jane said cautiously, almost regretting it when Lizzie's head snapped in her direction with a gleam in her eyes. Jane didn't like that gleam. It was too eager, and a bit too angry. And Lizzie was known for her temper. As she listened to Lizzie tell the story in minute detail, she watched as her sister grew more animated and slightly heated. When it was finished, Jane was seriously a little worried and shocked.

"He… doesn't seem the type to be outright rude." Jane informed her sister softly. "I know he's standoffish… maybe he was a little shy?" At this, Lizzie laughed.

"Jane, you can't think badly of anyone. You'd show mercy to a serial killer if he smiled at you the right way." Lizzie joked as she turned upside down on the couch so that she was watching TV with her head towards the ground. She felt the blood rush to her head and it helped her chill out.

"Maybe there was something in his childhood that made him like that?" Jane suggested, but then shook her head when Lizzie shouted out excitedly, "SEE!?"

"Why are you angry about it, Lizzie? I mean, you know you're a good singer, nothing like karaoke." Walking over to the couch, she pushed her sister over and grabbed it, changing the station to VH1's top twenty. Lizzie groaned as one of Will's songs played as the 4th in the countdown. It had been like that for six weeks, and hadn't budged either way.

"I could easily forgive him being stupid if he hadn't wounded my pride." Lizzie sniffed delicately, but cracked a grin. "Someone like him," She poked a finger at the TV screen where he was emotionally jabbing his fingers against the piano keys. "Shouldn't be so rude. His personality lacks, why should he make it worse for himself?" Jane sighed and shook her head.

"You'll never change your mind." She sighed, exasperated. Lizzie smiled and nodded, but stopped when she felt slightly nauseous from hanging upside down for too long.

"So, when do you work?" She asked, changing the subject. She knew her sister would change practically forget about Will Darcy when she started talking about her job at the Fox Theater. Jane was an aspiring theater actress, and she had just landed a roll in the musical, Guys and Dolls. Though Jane was quiet, she was like Lizzie; a new person stepped onto the stage.

"Oh, rehearsals are starting this next week." Jane gushed brightly. "I mean, I was surprised when they gave me the roll as Adelaide, but the girl who plays Sara, you know Jessica, said I earned it. I'm just happy I'm one of the leads. It's really surprising, you know?"

"And why would it be?" Charlotte asked from the doorway with a raised eyebrow. Lizzie grinned at the upside down version of her friend, but gasped and fell off of the couch when Charlotte produced a grocery bag full of food. Scrambling up, she raced over to Charlotte and jumped on her with enthusiasm laughing brightly. It had been awhile since she had new food. The cereal was getting pretty stale.

"And look what else I brought." Charlotte skillfully moved one arm from around Lizzie and pulled out a crisp, white envelope with Lizzie's name written in the top left corner. Lizzie squealed and grabbed her check from the gig the night before, ripping it open and grabbing the flimsy paper out of it.

"How do they figure the money you made anyway?" Jane asked, taking the grocery bag from Charlotte's hand and setting it on the kitchen table. Lizzie squealed when she saw the number.

"This was a pretty good price, you know? It was twenty dollars to get in, and they had two hundred people who bought tickets. She got thirty percent of the ticket cut, plus a couple hundred for the actual gig, since the crowd liked it." Charlotte explained as Lizzie jumped around.

"I GOT FIFTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS!" Lizzie half yelled half piped in high pitched tones as she finally got words out. It had been awhile since she had gotten such a good pay for her little gigs. Jane's jaw dropped also as the money count registered. Charlotte smiled brightly, letting Lizzie jump up and down in front of her in excitement.

"That's going to pay bills." Jane said with a laugh. She only made about four hundred dollars acting a week, so she had a part time job as a Starbucks cashier for extra cash. The extra money would be a big help.

"Is she having a seizure?" Someone asked snidely at the door, and Lizzie stopped jumping up and down when she saw her two least favorite people standing on the steps to her abode. Charlie, who was all smiles, didn't bother her in the least when he knocked hesitantly and stepped into the apartment, enveloping Jane in a hug. Though she had to admit, she felt slightly silly in her boxers and tank top. At least she'd thought to put a bra on before going out of her room.

"No, I'm just happy I got my check." Lizzie forced herself to smile at the witch who was assessing her with a critical eye. People like her made Lizzie want to deck someone. The poster boy for emo attitude stood next to her, staring at the TV with a raised eyebrow.

"So you had no clue who I was a few days ago, but now you watch my music videos?" He asked with a smirk as the number one song by Will played. Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"Dream on. Jane changed it to this." Grabbing the remote, she changed it back to Latino MTV. "I was watching this." Tito El Bambino was in the camera's face, making Caroline scoff.

"That isn't music. That's… that's just-"

"I like the rhythm. And I'd like to see you try to sing like that." Interrupted Lizzie, who rolled her eyes. "I'm going to go and get changed." She added, and dragging Charlotte along with her, she stomped over to her room, letting the reggaeton fill her head instead of Caroline's loud exclamations about real music.

"Ugh, I can't stand them!" Lizzie exclaimed in undertones as she began to change clothes, flicking on her stereo to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in the CD deck. The trumpets and saxophones helped calm her down as she realized that Jane had twisted the truth. When she said lunch, she hadn't mentioned them coming to pick the two of them up to do so. Jane had kindly left that out. With reason, Lizzie rationalized to herself. If she had told Lizzie ahead of time, Lizzie would have flat our refused.

"Well, Will couldn't keep his eyes off of you last night." Charlotte dismissed with a smile as she spread herself out on Lizzie's bed. Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"Do you think that matters? I don't really care if he was watching or not. I didn't perform for him." Lizzie grabbed some mousse for her hair, taming her curls and scrunching them so that her hair wouldn't frizz in the Georgia humidity. Pulling a simple pink polo, she then grabbed a lime green t-shirt with graffiti on it, pulling it on over the polo and adjusting the collar just right. Grabbing a pair of billabong jeans, she pulled them on, finishing off the look with pink and green puma sneakers. Adding a bit of eye liner and cover up for the scratches on her face, Lizzie turned around and presented herself to Charlotte for approval. Charlotte clapped and wolf whistled in appreciation.

There was a slightly hesitant knock on the door, and Lizzie turned back to the mirror, calling out coolly, "Come in". Will opened the door slowly, and Lizzie turned to face him with a raised eyebrow.

* * *

It was strange to see how laid back the Bennett sister's lifestyle was. There was a calm, but excited feelings in the room as Jane and Charlie sat on the couch, talking about planning around her acting schedule. I felt disdain circle around me when she mentioned theater acting. There was nothing that bothered me more than underpaid acting as if they were going to become stars. I couldn't believe someone like Jane could lower herself to that.

"It smells like dish soap and cotton candy in here." Caroline muttered under her breath to me as she sidled in close. I stepped over to the second couch to sit down and watch the TV play Hispanic rap. A bunch of skimpy girls danced around a guy with over sized clothes and a bad haircut. Music these days were very strange and full of talentless swines simply in it for money. What did Elizabeth see in this?

"Will, can you please ask Lizzie to hurry up?" Jane asked as she suddenly got up and went into the kitchen. She began unloading a bag full of groceries and putting them away she looked at me with eyes like her sister's, only nicer and more innocent.

"Yes." I replied, ever monotone.

"Thank you so much. She's the last door, straight ahead." Walking down the hall I saw a bunch of pictures of Jane and Lizzie lining the hall. They looked about the same age as they were now, and every picture was full of smiles. One right next to Elizabeth's door caught my eye. She was dressed in an obvious clubbing dress, and she was leaning into a Hispanic boy with a coy smile. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and her skin was flushed, but staring at it, I felt like I was intruding into another life. It was a gorgeous picture of her, but for some reason I didn't like the boy behind her. He looked a bit too smug to be there, as if he had a right to be.

What?

Shaking my head, I turned my attention to another picture, this one of her surrounded by a large group of Hispanics, large smiles on their faces as a very large guy was handing a bronzed record over to an ecstatic Lizzie.

"_This is the story,_

_Of Minnie, the moocher-"_

Snapping back into reality, I knocked on the door hesitantly, knowing Elizabeth was in a bad mood. The look of venom she had given Caroline could have been more painful than acid if looks could kill.

Walking into the room, I was bombarded with the sound of jazz from speakers on every side. The room was a relaxed scarlet color with a deep purple color trim. A large queen sized bed was covered with large decoration pillows askew all over it that matched the colors of the wall. A dark cherry wood dresser and armoire dominated one side of the room, but another side held a large stereo system and a desk that held papers and a laptop, and a few guitars and an average sized piano were stuffed in the corner. One wall was covered in writing on pieces of faded paper, and four large CD cases were propped up against the wall. The closet was spilling out with nice clothes, but the only thought that could cross my mind was a cheap Moroccan styled room being thrown together with a messy musician. It didn't blend well; it was loud and in your face kind of style. A loud and in your face kind of girl stood in the middle of it, staring at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes?" She asked, dragging out the sound impatiently. Charlotte was sprawled across the bed, and smothering a grin she rolled over, her back to me. I felt myself clamming up at their obvious lack of respect, and I knew I was about to go into what Gina called, "Will's bitch mode".

"Your sister wanted you to hurry up." I informed her, well aware that I was acting cold and indifferent. I wanted to relax around these people, knowing that I would be thrown together with them more often, but I couldn't bring myself to. I've always had a problem fitting in. It was weird to bring myself down to a lower level of class, and I wasn't sure I could. Elizabeth smiled, making something in my twinge. She was wearing bright, hurt your eyes colors, but it looked nice on her figure. Her eyes sparkled like daggers at me.

"We're coming, just wait here." She shrugged and turned back to the mirror to glance at her reflection once before suddenly grabbing an expo and writing on the mirror. I watched, suddenly wanting to know what she was writing. Did she compose her own songs, but merely sang the words of others? Dropping the expo after capping it, she walked into another room joined with hers. Feeling suddenly awkward, I walked over to the mirror to see what was written in small, neat handwriting.

"_I was losing myself to somebody else  
But now I see  
I don't wanna pretend  
So this is the end of you and me  
Cause the girl that you want  
She was tearing us apart  
Cause she's everything  
Everything I'm not_."

It was interesting to see that she was writing about breakups when she seemed the type to take nothing from anyone. I could almost hear the tune in my head as I read them. Glancing up at the wall full of papers, I realized that the papers held lyrics to random songs from multiple artists. Certain phrases were high lighted, or arrows were drawn to point at something else written for emphasis. She intrigued me even more.

"Like what you see?" She asked, suddenly by my side. I felt myself twinging as a few rap lyrics caught my eye, so I forced myself to look down at her.

"Do you write your own lyrics?" I asked carefully. She nodded and shrugged as she turned back to Charlotte.

"Yes, your not the only one that can." She replied dryly, nudging Charlotte with her foot.

"I'm not going with you guys." Charlotte informed her, her muffled voice coming up through the pillows. Lizzie rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath before grabbing my wrist and pulling me after her as she walked out of the room, flicking off the light as she went.

* * *

Lizzie stomped down the hall, pulling Will after her with more force than she meant to have. She had wanted to relax and force herself to be polite, but just the thought of having to associate with the pompous bastard and his perky girlfriend made her more annoyed than she wanted to be. Well aware that Will was getting annoyed with her dragging him, she tugged a couple of times for good measure, not surprised when he suddenly yanked his arm out from her grasp.

"I can walk just fine, thank you. I won't get lost." He snapped, walking up to her side. Lizzie stopped and raised an eyebrow.

"What a surprise. This winding hallway gets me all in a tizzy trying to find my way out." She retorted, rolling her eyes and picking up her pace until they reached the living room. Jane and Charlie were discussing the places they could go after lunch, and with a sinking feeling in her stomach, Lizzie realized that she would be stuck with them all day long. Resolving herself to such a fact, Lizzie tried to prep herself for the time she knew she'd look back and label, "day from hell".

"Are you ready to go?" Jane asked brightly as Lizzie walked over smiled brightly at Charlie. Charlie saw Will standing behind her, a glare in place and wondered brightly what had happened between them to see a false brightness about the girl and a stony silence from the boy.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked Will, also noticing that when he said his friend's name, Lizzie's gaze narrowed at him, as if personally offended he had dared speak.

"Georgia allergies." Was all Will could manage as he turned back, watching Caroline skip from America's Next Top Model re-runs to The Hill's re-runs.

"I absolutely hate Evie, or whatever she calls herself." Caroline commented as she glared at the television where the girl in question was being told she was American's next top model.

"Really? I thought she was refreshing." Lizzie smiled, and Will noticed it was slightly forced. He grudgingly decided that the fact that she was trying to be nice was an amiable quality. Why did she have to try to be nice? Now he would have to be as well. There went his whole skip lunch and fake illness idea.

"Her attitude is what got her kicked out of the modeling agency. Now, she's stuck to random pictures with children's clothes, playing as the mother. Mother? Please. Like she could have maternal feelings. Lizzie, you have more maternal feelings than she does." Caroline sniffed delicately. Lizzie cringed at her statement, and fought back the wicked retort.

"How kind of you to say." She forced out before turning back to Charlie. "Do you think I could invite a friend to eat with us?" Charlie beamed brightly and nodded, and before Will could blink, her phone was in her hand as she pressed a few buttons and held the device up to her ear.

"You can invite him on the way Lizzie. Just tell him where to meet us if he can come, ok?"

"Ok." Was the only reply. As Will quickly grabbed Caroline from the couch, Charlie and Jane walked out of the apartment first, letting Lizzie follow, Will and Caroline tagging behind. The volume to the phone was turned up, allowing everyone to inadvertently hear the entire conversation.

"Bueno?(1)" The voice sounded groggy.

"Adon? It's Lizzie." There was relief evident in her voice

"¿Ah, que onda, chica? ¿Que necesitas?(2)" Will ignored the weird pang in his stomach when he heard the familiarity in the man's voice.

"Escúchame, I'm going out with some… friends for lunch. ¿Quieres ir?(3)" Will heard the accent roll off of her tongue like silk, and it intrigued him. Lizzie didn't seem Hispanic, but she seemed greatly influenced by it.

"Si, of course I'll go. Where and when? ¿Quien es tus amigos?(4)" Lizzie gave a hollow laugh.

"At The Varsity. You know what that is. Remember the people I told you about yesterday?" She asked carefully.

"Ah, that Will Darcy guy, right? ¿El hombre que no tiene cajones?(5)" Lizzie laughed right out at that, making Will suddenly wish he had taken Spanish when he was younger.

"Si, si, but you're coming, right?" She begged jokingly.

"Only for you, chica." Lizzie laughed again, and hung up after a few more jesting exchanges spoken in Spanish that made Charlie laugh when he heard.

"Something funny, Charlie?" Lizzie teased.

"I didn't know you could speak Spanish." Charlie laughed again when he realized him and Lizzie were the only ones who knew why it was so funny. Will had taken French, German, Japanese, Chinese, and Italian as he had grown up, and traveling around the world, he had been able to keep up with them, but he had never learned Spanish. Turning around, Will's manager wasn't surprised to see Will frowning in concentration as he struggled to find words that were close Italian so he could decipher what she had been saying.

Add that to the list of mysteries.

* * *

The Varsity, as it turned out, was a mediocre type of fast food restaurant that was always packed. It was shaped like an enlarged disk with stairs leading up to it, and the moment you stepped inside, you were forced to accept the loud cacophony of people talking and eating. Will shifted in discomfort as two children ran past, shrieking and holding up paper hats.

"Don't worry, if you ask them, they'll sterilize the seat before you sit in it." Lizzie told Will brightly as she walked up beside him and began peering around for her friend. Will looked up as he realized that a lot of people were staring at them, the girls glancing at Charlie and him, and the boys ogling Lizzie. Jane was standing behind Charlie shyly, and Caroline had yet to come in from the car, telling them that, "I need to make a call to a few friends… you know, to tell them how my trip was…".

"What a relief." He retorted, trying to joke. He felt strange to stand in the simple fast food joint, acting like he was like these people. He wasn't anything like these people, at all. They let greasy food slip into their mouth like it didn't bother them, and the idea that he was expected to as well made him feel like pummeling Charlie.

Lizzie looked back up at him with a raised eyebrow, as if trying to figure out whether or not he was kidding. Her bright blue eyes seemed to pop out with the neon colors, and Will realized her eyes were seemingly neon as well with their electric azure tint. His heart contorted in his chest at the sight. Looking away quickly, he glanced up and stared at the crowd again, watching every male in the room sneak glances at the short woman before him.

One man in particular was giving her a full once over. He was Hispanic with nice Abercrombie & Fitch clothing and jeans, short black hair and an ATL hat tilted on his head. His bright black eyes were taking Lizzie in with no qualms to the suddenly angry man standing behind her, towering almost protectively behind her. Will couldn't stop the weird fury that lanced through his gut at the sight of the Spanish kid staring at her.

The Hispanic boy looked up and, seeing Will glaring, winked at him before he sauntered over slowly, and cool smile parting to show bright white teeth. He slipped through the crowd and then came up behind Lizzie before setting a hand confidently on her hip.

Will didn't know what happened. One moment he was watching in disbelief and the next he was grabbing the boy's hand, twisting it behind his back, and slamming into the large trashcan nearby.

"What do you think you're doing?" Will hissed, pulling the boy's arm back and lifting it up, watching as he winced and struggled. He couldn't control the actions he was doing as he grabbed the other hand and yanked it up too. The boy was yelling something in Spanish, but Will had no clue what the hell he was speaking; not everyone could understand Spanish! Lizzie however, could, and every word that came out of the boy's mouth made her go pale. Suddenly, she acted.

"Let go of him you big idiot! That's Adon! ¡Suéltale, eres loco! ¡Necesitas detener injurie mi amigo, basta ya!(6)" Lizzie was grabbing his arm and landing punch after punch, and it took Will a moment to realize she was hitting him, and that her right hook was impressive. Seeing her icy eyes flash dangerously, he let go after a moment's hesitation, wincing as Lizzie gave him another punch for good measure. The girl could hit hard. The boy named Adon was disregarding his arm as he glared at Will warily.

"¿Este es el hombre que no tiene cajones? ¡Mírale, Lizzie, el los tiene!(7)" His accent rolled off of his tongue easily, but angrily. Lizzie was only giving him half a mind.

"Yo no se. Lo ciento…(8)" She muttered angrily as she glared up at Will. Will could sense Charlie and Jane's shock behind him, but all that he could focus on was the anger of the fiery woman before him as she pushed him backwards. He couldn't do anything; she was a woman. She, however, obviously had no problem with attempting to hurt him.

"What is your problem?" She hissed angrily, pushing him again. Will stumbled back, and he heard a sharp chuckle. Glancing up, he saw Adon watching Lizzie with laughter in his eyes. "You think you can body slam my friends?" She snapped, pushing him so hard he fell back against the doors. Neither of them realized that the entire Varsity was staring at them.

"I didn't know he was your friend." He stuttered back, reaching a hand up to pull at his hair in frustration. Leave it to instinct to get him in trouble. He hadn't even known what had made him react. Just the thought of another man with his hand on her waist-

Wait, what? Where were his thoughts leading?

"I can distinguish for myself who my friends are, thank you very much, Will Darcy." Lizzie snapped, but then automatically clapped her hands over her mouth as small, collective gasps carried throughout the room. Will felt himself flush as people began slowly, cautiously pulling out camera phones and pieces of paper. Charlie reached over and grabbed Will's arm, murmuring something before motioning for Lizzie and Adon to follow them out of the room just as a single scream of excitement pierced the air.

* * *

Lizzie had no idea that she could run so fast. One moment she was on the stairs and then next she was across the parking lot, keeping pace with Adon as he grumbled something in Spanish.

Charlie led them over to the limousine where Caroline was beginning to step out of the car. When she saw their rapid advancement toward her however, her eyes bugged out and she dove back into the car, followed by the rest of them. Lizzie clambered in, followed by Adon who pushed her into a seat so that he could close the door. The driver took off almost instantly, and Lizzie turned back to see a large group of people trickling from The Varsity to snap photos of their speedy getaway.

"What was that all about?" Charlie asked in surprise as he wrapped an arm around Jane.

"Ask Lizzie. She's the one spouting names out in public." Will spat as he crammed himself into the corner of the limo. Lizzie turned and flashed him a pointed glare.

"I think it started when you tried to snap Adon's arms off." She replied coolly, making her furious stare penetrate him. He felt suddenly guilty for getting involved. What was he thinking?

"Why did you try to assault him, Will?" Charlie asked diplomatically, sensing the tension.

"He probably tried to rob them." Caroline spoke dismissively from Darcy's left side. She was sliding her phone shut, and the sharp click cut through the otherwise awkward silence. Lizzie raised an eyebrow at her, but before she could react further, Adon spoke up.

"Yes, because I'm Mexican, I can't make money any other way." He agreed sarcastically. Lizzie smirked and rolled her eyes as Caroline realized he could understand and speak English. She immediately went back to texting. Turning back to her friend, Lizzie assessed his wrist where a bruise was forming.

"Está bien?(9)" She asked, touching his wrist slightly Adon grinned and shrugged.

"Yo tuve peor, chica. Soy fuerte, está bien.(10)" He smiled brightly and shrugged. Tossing a glance towards Darcy, he winked before pulling out his phone. Lizzie turned back and glared at him.

"Aren't you going to apologize?" She asked angrily. Will turned back from glaring out of the window to stare at her, his face confused.

"Why should I?" He demanded angrily. Charlie shook his head, and Jane glanced worriedly from Lizzie to Will.

"The way I see it, Adon could press charges against you, and you'd lose the case because you assaulted him." Lizzie replied nonchalantly, keeping eye contact. Will stared right back, wondering how on earth someone could look pretty when they were angry. She seemed to come alive when she was passionate about something, and he could see the love and devotion she had for her friends. Guilt twisted in his gut. Looking up though, he saw Adon smirking at him over Lizzie's head, and the anger came rushing back.

"You assaulted me. I could press charges." He ground out, but he knew it was a flimsy lie. He couldn't press charges against her, and for some reason she knew it too.

"You wouldn't dare. It was in defense that I did that. And even your fancy lawyer couldn't win that case." She brushed his defense aside like cobwebs. She kept up her staring match, and Will was beginning to lose focus. She was pressing him for answers, but he could easily hide them. It's not like she needed to know he was developing a slightly crush on her. Besides, her good qualities are crushed by her less than pleasing ones.

"I think my lawyer would hold up just fine against whatever you could scrounge up." Will said in a clipped tone, meaning to end the argument. Lizzie opened her mouth to snap at him again, but Adon shook her shoulder, grabbing her attention.

"It's fine. It was a mistake, es cierto?" Adon looked up at Will and smirked again. "Besides, I don't like lawyers. It would take up too much time." He shrugged dismissively. "If you can just drop me off by The Grant Building, I'll call up Lewis and Jose and meet them at the food street." Flashing a smile, he looked down to see Lizzie debating the problems him leaving would cause. Shrugging in defeat, she looked over at Charlie pleadingly.

"Can you drop him off at The Grant Building? It's where my dad works, the Bennett Architects?" She sighed softly before turning to Adon. "Por que te marchas?(11)"

"Porque yo no puedo ser aquí. Lo ciento.(12)" He replied with a laugh. Lizzie shrugged and replied simply, "Yo se."

The drive to The Grant Building was silent, and Adon left with a simple hug and a kiss on the cheek. Lizzie sighed when he left. As they pulled away, Charlie gave instructions for them to be taken back to the hotel, and he then turned to Will.

"People will have your head for this." He said jovially, pulling his girlfriend closer. Lizzie snorted and scooted over to the window seat to stare dejectedly out of the window. Why did people have to take away her friends and throw her into this bunch of bi-polar people? Even Charlie seemed a bit too happy. Or maybe that was her just being grumpy. She couldn't tell.

There was a awkward silence as Jane and Charlie kept their voices down as they whispered back and forth to each other. Lizzie was thinking of a hundred ways to jump out of the car without injury, and Will was thinking back to the restaurant scene. Running a couple parts through his head, he realized something.

"What was your friend telling me when I-uh, when I-"

"When you tried to break his arms?" Lizzie asked dully, not bothering to turn around. Will gave an affirmative noise in the back of his throat. Sighing again, she turned to face him, suddenly serious.

"He was threatening to bring in a few friends to take care of you if you didn't let go." She said with a raised eyebrow. "And I don't mean for donuts and coffee. His old group before he hung out with me isn't the best. And you were tempting him to bring them in." She said softly, and a hard edge was forming in her eyes. Will frowned.

"Friends?" He asked stupidly.

"Yes, friends." She replied evenly. "Friends that don't like it when gringos, or white boys, try to mess around with their own." She shrugged dismissively. "I don't want to see them ever again, so next the time you see him, kindly wait before you go into judo mode." She whipped her head back to the window, leaving Will with a sinking feeling in his gut. He was getting into gang related business; he could almost feel them watching, even though he knew they weren't.

What kind of people did she hang out with that got her involved with gangs? Was she the type to really get caught up in the signs and the groups? Looking over at her, he shook his head slowly. The way Lizzie was talking, she was the one pulling Adon away from that. He could almost taste the anger in her voice at the mention of his "friends".

The rest of the ride was silent, Will brooding out of his own window, and Lizzie out of hers. When they reached the hotel, Charlie looked up and everyone but Caroline gave a collected groan when they realized that a large group of reporters were outside of the hotel.

"How are we getting in?" Lizzie asked curiously, pressing her nose against the glass. Seeing a couple people trying to stare in, she stuck her tongue out jokingly. An arm grabbed her shoulder and jerked her back none too gently, and Lizzie slammed into Will Darcy's chest, surprise flitting across her features. He was slender, but muscular, and it impact had jarred her back and sent pain from her wreck shooting across her shoulder. Gasping in pain, she wrenched herself away from him and glared.

"You just seem in the mood to hurt somebody, don't you?" She asked angrily, trying to stifle a whimper as she reached up and held her collar bone painfully.

"They can see through the glass." Was all Will could manage to say. He watched as she rubbed her shoulder tenderly, and once again he felt stupid. What was with him? Injuring everyone around him and beating up on a guy because he seemed more chummy and confidant around her?

"So? It's not my reputation." She replied before flinging the door open and stepping out. Charlie jumped after her, panicked, but there was nothing they could do. Begrudgingly, they followed her confidant step, and pushed through the flashing lights.

"Who are you?"

"Will, is it true that-"

"Caroline Bingley! What a-"

"Just a picture darling-"

"Come on, smile for-"

"Are you two dating?" There was a hushed silence over the crowd, save for pictures clicking like madly. Lizzie had stopped walking, and turned to face the crowd, an eyebrow raised. She could hardly see the people because of the rapidity of the flashing lights, but she managed to find where the general voice came from. She could feel Will tugging urgently on her arm, but she brushed it off easily.

"Are we dating, is that what you wanted to know?" She asked with a smirk playing across her lips despite the fact that she wanted to melt. What was she doing, talking to the press?

"Yes, are you-"

"We just want to know-"

"…dating-"

"WILL DARCY?" Lizzie pretended to think about it, tapping her chin slowly, and ignoring Will tugging at her arm.

"Well, if you must know…" She smiled brightly. "We're engaged."

* * *

_So sorry this took so long, haha. I had fun writing the ending part, as you can imagine. Reviews are definitely wanted, but I won't die if I don't get them, haha. Here's the translations for the words in the story:_

_1 Kind of slang greeting for phones, hello, what's up, stuff like that._

_2 What's up (slang) girl? What do you need?_

_3 Listen to me… do you want to go?_

_4 Who is your friend?_

_5 The man that has no balls?_

_6 Let go of him, you're crazy! You need to stop injuring my friend, that's enough!_

_7 This is the guy with no balls? Look at him, Lizzie, he has them!_

_8 I don't know… I'm sorry._

_9 Are you ok?_

_10 I've had worse girly, I'm strong, it's ok._

_11 Why are you leaving?_

_12 Because I can't be here. I'm sorry_

_So, sorry if I had too much Spanish, but once I get going, I can't stop. I like to pepper things with it :P_


	6. Are You Happy Now?

_

* * *

_

So... Hi everyone!! Yeah... it's been awhile since I've touched this story.... and I know you probably hate me right now, but that's ok! I updated!! This will kind of be filleresque, but I need it to be, ok? Sorry, sorry, sorry for the long delay, but I didn't know what to do. I kind of have this habit of hitting things with a BANG! And then not being able to pick up after. I'm just like that. No more excuses though! Here you go!

_"Now, don't just walk away  
Pretending everything's ok  
And you don't care about me  
And I know there's just no use  
When all your lies become your truths and I don't care... yeah, yeah, yeah_

Could you look me in the eye  
And tell me that you're happy now, ohhh, ohhh"

-**Michelle Branch, Happy Now**

* * *

She was running her fingers through her hair. Randomly, she would get her fingers stuck, and she would begin playing with that specific few fibers of hair before letting them fall back. She would then began running her fingers through her curls again, repeating the process. Her eyes were trained on the wall beside his head, and her lips were pursed. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she wasn't listening.

"Why aren't you listening to me?!" He shouted angrily, grabbing at his hair and tugging it, causing the dark strands to stick straight up. Lizzie's eyes flashed back to his face and she raised an eyebrow. A grin tugged at the corner of her mouth, but she managed to suppress it at the look of murder on his face.

"Well?" He prompted, not understanding her look. Was she trying to make him mad?

"I think you should relax." She said calmly, suddenly pulling a piece of hair in front of her face. With careful deliberation she began plucking at it to untangle the hardly manageable hair, ignoring the look of acid he threw at her.

"Also," She continued as if she hadn't noticed anything wrong, "You're blowing this farther out of proportion than it has to be." She blew the strands away and smirked at him. "Think of it as good sense of humor." Charlie laughed brightly at this, and even Jane could crack a smile in the tense atmosphere. Caroline had met up with a few models that were in town, and they were, "malling and stuff!" so that she could, "look simply marvelous for Will" meaning, she wasn't there to defend Will. Not that he wanted her to be there to defend him, but someone on his side would make him feel a little bit better. With the way things were going, it was three against one, and he hated how unbalanced it felt. His own manager was taking the stupid girl's side!

The moment the paparazzi had heard of the impromptu engagement, Caroline had slipped through the pressing crowd, seething with anger, pink splotches slowly heating her face. She had to get away from them and find something in the hick state of Georgia that would make Will look at her the way he had looked at Lizzie. It wasn't just anger in his eyes… it was curiosity and intrigue. It was shock, but at the same time slight admiration Caroline was sure he hadn't even realized he'd shown. Something he would never give to Caroline. She'd have to change that, somehow.

"W-what?!" If anything, her comment made Darcy look like he was about to blow up. Lizzie imagined smoke from his ears and smiled encouragingly at him. "Good sense of humor?!" He blustered, "You told them you were pregnant with my child and expecting in a month!" Lizzie watched as he silently threatened to rip his hair out by the roots. Vaguely she wondered what would happen if he did. Would he get men's hair treatment? Or maybe extensions? "Now I'm expected to marry you, and you have to have a child in their eyes! You don't even look pregnant!"

"You mean you're going to announce that after rehab, I broke off the engagement. Or you could break it off?" She offered, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Or tell them I refuse the treatments, and the child will be in your custody with no contact from me." Lizzie shrugged and laughed brightly, changing the feel of the room ever so slightly. She saw Will's frown change slightly for a quick second- could it be a smile starting? - but then it switched back to an even deeper glare, somehow even more brooding then before.

"You don't look like a crack addict." He observed. "How could you lie about that?" Lizzie began to be annoyed with the turn of events; why couldn't he just chill out?

"I'm good with makeup." She grumbled, rolling her eyes and grabbing a strand of hair between her nimble fingers again, showing her growing boredom with the situation.

"No one can cover up drug use." Will snapped, stepping towards her. Charlie rolled his eyes and -grabbing Jane- he got up and left. He could see Will was getting past the initial anger and was now just getting the chance to angrily flirt. Not that Will would call it that. Charlie grinned to himself and wrapped his arm around Jane's waist, happy that he didn't suffer from the severe disease Will suffered from- social retardation.

"Lindsay Lohan did for a couple months. And so did her girlfriend, before the meth got to her." Lizzie countered, standing up and rising to the challenge. Will snorted.

"Yes, until she grew up from marijuana and indulged in crack and meth." He rolled his eyes, wondering why he was instigating this. It wasn't like he had anything to prove. The fact that she looked dead serious was enough to tell him to chill out. She might hit him again. As if to remind him of that fact, his shoulder twinged.

"She probably didn't even start with marijuana. Lindsay's rich enough that she instantly jumped at the heroine, probably." Lizzie folded her arms. "You never saw her in person though, so you can't say. The press makes everyone ugly."

"They don't make me look ugly." He defended himself, glaring. Lizzie laughed, rolling her eyes. Did he really think he was that gorgeous?

"My, my, don't we have an ego problem?"

"You can't deny it." He smirked at her indignant face.

"Oh, but I can! You're not the hottest guy I've ever met." There was a slightly shocked silence as he stared at her, jaw dropping slightly, and Lizzie couldn't help the grin from spreading over her features. His glower came back full force, and he clenched his hands into fists, disbelief passing over his face.

"What are we, 10? Are you that immature that you have to attack my physical appearance?" He demanded angrily.

"You're the one bringing up the strange idea that you're somehow hot." She countered, shrugging.

"You're the one spreading rumors to the press that we're engaged."

"It was a joke, and it gave everyone else a chance to get inside. You're the only one not laughing!"

"Why should I be laughing?" He thundered angrily, stepping closer. Lizzie realized how he was advancing slowly, confidently towards her, and she realized that she felt slightly intimidated. Jutting her chin out, she rolled her eyes at how immature he was acting.

"Because it was a joke. It wasn't serious, and it wasn't like I was asking for us to suddenly be engaged. Think of it as payback for attacking my friend." She seethed back, jumping right into his face so that she wouldn't feel like she was on the defensive. A Bennett could never be on the defense.

"I already pointed out why I so called attacked him. How you take it now is up to you." Will realized how close he was getting, and he stopped.

"Take my humorous stunt as a joke and I'll let the fact that you assaulted my friend drop." She retorted, crossing her arms.

"I refuse to! It wasn't funny. Like I could ever want to be engaged to someone like you." There was a stunned silence as Will waited for the punch in his gut, or the backhand to the face. None came. Looking down at her, Will was surprised to see amusement in her eyes and a sneer on her face. There wasn't surprise or even the littlest bit of injury. If anything, it was like he had just told a joke that she was trying to resist laughing at.

"At least that's one thing we have in common, Darcy." Giving a short bark of laughter, she turned on her heel and walked off.

Will was left standing in the living room of the penthouse feeling like he had lost that battle.

* * *

Lizzie stomped down the hallway, angrily running her hands through her hair, unable to believe how that conversation had ended. Was he seriously so arrogant that he had to bring up his good looks like he was a God? Sure, he was good looking in a rugged, business-like way, but his personality ruined that. And what the heck was with him, grabbing Adon like that? Did he have this issue of people standing too close to him? Snorting under her breath, Lizzie had the urge to grab Jane and leave, but she had to banish the idea. Even if she wasn't in the mood, she wouldn't take Jane's happiness away. Charlie was a bit of an air head, but he was a good guy.

Wondering what to do after her dramatic exit, Lizzie wandered down the penthouse, looking for mini library or the instrument room from before. Opening a random door, Lizzie peeked in, happy to see that it was the same cream colored music room. The set up was simple; there was plenty of room to pace, two or three guitars on one side next to something that looked like a violin case, and then a baby grand piano to the left. White curtains let light filter into the room, giving a light, peaceful feel. Walking over to the piano, Lizzie sat down, letting her hands slide down the ivory keys before she pressed down, sighing and sinking into the chair. A clear, light note struck the air, and she smiled to herself before she began playing her favorite song on the piano, Auto Rock.

* * *

Will stomped down the hallway, his face twisted into something unpleasant and cold. How dare some chick get into his face like that? She acted like she could walk all over him and do what she wanted in his penthouse? As he reached his bedroom, he sunk onto his bed, running his hands through his hair. Sure, she was intriguing. Instead of just rushing through the crowd, she had played them all for fools. But she was so… overbearing! She didn't seem to realize the repercussions of lying to the press like that! It wasn't like you could just run up and say what you liked; you had to be careful.

Maybe that's why he was intrigued? Because she wasn't careful? Will was always careful with things he did, unless it was music, and for that he was used to seeing things done in an orderly fashion. She was so random, so sporadic… he wasn't used to it. That's why he kept thinking of her. The useless chit just needed to take an A.D.D. pill and calm down.

His phone vibrating on his bed drew his attention, and with a sigh, he picked it up, saying tonelessly into the phone, "Hullo…?"

_"Well, if that's how you go about greeting people, it's no wonder you're a black star in everyone's eyes." _Gina's perky voice cheered Will up considerably, and he sat up on his bed, not able to fight the smile from his face.

"I can't help it; they bring out the worst in me." Will defended with a laugh, hearing a piano echoing around the penthouse, but ignoring it. Maybe he was hearing things?

_"Yeah, and you'd never believe what I just saw_." Gina's voice took on a more amused tone, and tensing ever so slightly, Will asked in a gravelly voice, "What did you just see?" As if sensing his unease, Gina laughed delightedly.

"_Well, speaking of bringing out the worst in you: I hope you don't scowl like that when you and that Lizzie girl get married_." Will shot up to his feet, anger pumping through him fresh and hot. It was already in the news!? Tugging at his hair, he began pacing his room like a caged animal, reeling in the desire to strangle the slip of a girl down the hallway from him taking deep, slow breaths.

"I won't because there won't be any marriage." He snapped darkly. Gina giggled again, and he could almost picture her rolling her eyes and turning up the volume on the TV so he could hear the teeny bopper girl on VH1.

"_That's right, it's been reported that Will Darcy is soon going to be off of the bachelor list, ladies! Who is the lucky lady? It's been reported that a Lizzie Bennett of Conyers Georgia gets the big rock on her ring finger! But don't worry, here's Darcy's number one hit to cheer you up!_"

"Ok, Gina, I get it!" He groaned, pulling the phone away from him as his music came up over the speakers. His sister giggled again, and he wondered if she wasn't some sort of demonic child. He wouldn't have put her through that much torture for his own amusement.

"_So, how big is that rock, anyway_?" Gina asked conversationally. Stepping out of his bedroom, Will stomped down the hall, ready to give that Bennett girl a piece of his mind. It was then that he realized that someone was playing _his_ piano. Anger mounting, he stomped even harder towards his music room. As he reached it though, he was surprised to see that it was Lizzie playing the piano, and playing it quite well. She was bent over the keys, eyes half closed in concentration as her fingers found the notes.

It was… well, beautiful, really.

"_Uh, Will? Is it really that big_?" Gina's voice sounded far away, and Will could hardly hear himself murmur a response.

"I'll… have to show it to you… yeah… later…" His voice trailed off, and he was surprised just how much her playing his piano affected him. What was it about music that pulled him in? She was stroking the keys, tempting them like her song had done to him when she'd been on stage.

"_Will, what's going on? You know I know you're not serious._" Gina sounded confused, but he hardly heard it. All he could hear was the tune she was playing. Had she made it herself?

It was lovely.

"_Will?_!" Gina sounded a little annoyed now.

"I'll… have to get back to you on that." Pressing the end button on his phone, he walked into the room a little more, surprised that her music was doing this to him. Suddenly, it paused, and the spell was broken. He stood there, startled like a deer in the headlights until she turned around, an eyebrow raised at his stance.

"Yeeeees…?" She drug her words out, breaking the spell entirely. Will jerked back, as if struck in the face, and he frowned.

"How'd you learn to play like that?" He demanded, folding his arms. Lizzie's eyebrow rose a fraction higher, and a smirk played about her face.

"I pressed a few notes, and learned their names." She replied sardonically, shrugging. At his noise of protest, she rolled her eyes. "My dad taught me, that simple." Will stared at her, then at the piano, unsure what he should say to that. He didn't feel like she needed a compliment, but at the same time… there was something to her music he couldn't name. It was something he felt like he needed. Why did he have that urge?!

"It's… ok." He finally said, eyebrows scrunched together. Lizzie laughed openly at him, standing up and stepping away from the piano, something dangerous in her grin.

"I'm glad you think my skills are… ok. It warms my heart." Rolling her eyes, she started to leave, but Will didn't want to let go… not yet.

"You were weak on your ascent to the higher notes." He blurted out before he could help himself. At her blank look, he sat back down, and mimicked what she'd just done. Instead of making her mistake thought, he pressed it with more fluidity, less trouble. Lizzie folded her arms to watch, skepticism playing across her face. Glancing back at her, he kept his fingers on the keys, waiting for her to say something.

"… Thanks for that, teacher, I'll log that away." Instead of leaving though, she grabbed the nearest chair and sat down warily, eyeing him like he was explosive.

"Teacher?" He asked, baffled. Was she really mocking him? He was only trying to help. She had needed to know she'd done wrong so she could get better. Nothing was worse than a mistake with music. He'd seen countless people make that mistake, and if she was going to play music to make him stop in his tracks, it had better be good music. He frowned at her, disapproving.

"Yeah, teacher. You know, since you're full of wisdom when it comes to playing music and all." She crossed her legs, waiting for him to continue speaking. What was with her? He was just showing her the mistake she had made, and it felt like she was basically laughing in his face! Sure enough, the tug at her lip betrayed the annoyance in her gaze. Frowning, Will rolled his eyes and turned back to the piano.

"I'm just saying, if you're going to play on my piano, it needs to be better than amateur work." He said stiffly, earning the sound of someone choking back laughter. Straightening his back, he glared down at the keys, wishing her away. He'd tried to help the talentless girl, and this was how she repaid him? Gritting his teeth, he heard how she grated the chair on the floor obnoxiously before finally leaving his sanctuary.

What was with him? Groaning, he kept playing, trying to lay out the facts that he knew when it came to Elizabeth Bennett.

She was pretty in an unconventional way

She was obnoxious and overbearing

She ate disgusting food

She sang and played in a way that made him stop in his tracks

She sang and played in a way that made him grit his teeth because it shouldn't seem good

She was sarcastic

Hung out with strange people

Her social standing was terrible

She didn't seem to like him. At all.

She brushed off his attempts at pushing her away

Because of her looks, he couldn't seem to push her away

She kept surprising him

Glaring at the piano, he shook his head. The bad outweighed the good on his list, so therefore he'd leave her be. It wasn't like he was hooked or anything, she just surprised him with how different she was. She was definitely different than he was used to, that was all. Once he grew used to her, he'd be able to forget her, like he did with anything that surprised him. She wasn't special, and he had dozens of girls lined up to be with him, girls who would kill for him.

This one wasn't any different.

* * *

_So, this was shorter than usual, but I decided it was necessary. Just leave it in a review how much you hate me, or how you like that I've returned from the dead! Either would work... :)_


End file.
